Raven and River

As the Raven calls the sleeping Arctic animals to wake for spring, one by one they appear, but the River remains still, until it finally begins to move, stretching and cracking and coming to life once more.

PreSchool-Grade 3. The beauty and majesty of nature is brought to life in this dramatic, richly descriptive picture book. Bold, realistic views of wildlife blend wonderfully with a lyrical, poetic text. The story follows a raven as it travels along an Alaskan river announcing the arrival of spring across the still-frozen landscape. As the bird flies along, it passes over other woodland creatures, including a squirrel, a bear, and a beaver. Each animal adds its voice to the raven's, asking that the ice covering the river melt and allow for the season's change to begin. The naturalistic acrylic paintings are the perfect complement to the spare, onomatopoetic narrative. One painting shows a close-up of a snowshoe hare bounding forward, directly toward readers. It is a compelling reminder that these are wild animals, not the fluffy, friendly creatures that often inhabit children's picture books. A fine choice for story hours devoted to nature or the seasons.?Melissa Hudak, North Suburban District Library, Roscoe, IL
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A writer (Let's Count It Out, Jesse Bear, 1996, etc.) and an artist who live in Alaska create a powerful and beautiful read-aloud set in their region. Raven ``swoops out of winter into spring,'' a sculptured black shape against the snow, to ``wake the sleeping River.'' That refrain follows a red squirrel, ruffled grouse, wolf, snowshoe hare, bear, and beaver as each animal moves, in its way, into the spring: awakening, running, yowling. The River responds as the ice melts, and the final, gorgeous panel shows Raven above a free-flowing river and land touched with green. The richly painted acrylics delineate the animals and the Alaskan landscape, giving them character without any show of sentimentality. The text appears in a strong, elegant typeface on the full-page, full-bleed illustrations. A fine piece of natural history (an author's note is included) with a mythic edge. (Picture book. 5- 9) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 4^-8. The animals, beginning with Raven, take note of the subtle changes in the river. Their movements and the noises they make echo the sounds of the river as its winter ice breaks up: "Red squirrel . . . Bright eyes sparkle, / like a river shining. / Chit-chit shimmer / Wake the sleeping River." In a final note, the author talks briefly about living in Alaska, where both Raven and River are a "strong presence." Large, sweeping paintings, full of icy blues and wintry browns, add a majestic note to the simple, poetic text and prominently feature Alaskan animals, such as the bear, beaver, and snowshoe hare. Susan Dove Lempke