The River FROM THE PUBLISHER
The journey of a river from mountain stream to ocean estuary is portrayed in this striking picture book. As he did in his first book, the "vibrantly colored...visually appealing" (School Library Journal) The Tide, Nik Pollard combines exuberant graphics with an accessible read-aloud text to present the natural world in a fresh light.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Readers can swim from The Tide to a narrower channel in The River, also by Nik Pollard. The alliterative text-"Water laps with soft slop-slaps"-is typeset to complement the pleasingly flat, retro graphic art as the river winds its way from a mountaintop to the sea. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Janice DeLong
Beginning with one hiker and a small stream, the river winds it way through fields and farms, quiet streams and bustling harbors until it spills into the sea. Along the way, readers discover a wealth of life that depends on each phase of the growing body of water. There are cows and crows, fish and families, swans and swallows, all seeking revitalization through its life-giving force. The story of the river's excursion unfolds in a variety of poetic elements. Alliteration, onomatopoeia, and diverse rhyme schemes depict the journey from an obscure and rather lonely location in the mountains to the noise and grime of the city, with intriguing stops along the way. Collage, watercolor, and line drawings spill across each page with lively abandon, giving readers a sense of the fluid movement of the river as it rushes to the sea. 2002, Roaring Brook Press,
School Library Journal
K-Gr 2-The journey of a river from its start as a mountain stream to its final destination, the sea, is presented with bright, abstract, graphic illustrations and a hectic text, sometimes alliterative and sometimes rhyming, that twists and turns like the water. Through the countryside, town, and city, the river provides water for domestic animals and wildlife and a home for fish and fowl. It also provides beauty, sounds, and recreation. Where the river meets the sea, huge ships are loaded to start a journey of their own. Following the river, readers see a hiker, cows, a man in a truck, ravens, swans and people feeding them, swallows, swifts, a family catching minnows, the town, a bridge, a fisherman on the river and a huge pike in the water, kayaks (that are identified as canoes), and a crowd watching a boat race. All of the sights and sounds are described with an energetic text loaded with action verbs and description. The bold illustrations, text placement, and fast-paced language all combine to set the mood of the story. This is a sophisticated piece with a lot happening on every page and some of it is difficult to grasp. Children will need an adult to take them successfully through the story. However, the book has an interesting concept and is nicely done, so it's worth the effort.-Marlene Gawron, formerly at Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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