From its source high in the mountains of Peru, the powerful, multifaceted Amazon River descends to the Atlantic Ocean, influencing the environnment far beyond the rain forest through which it flows.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Gilliland's praise song to the Amazon, "the mightiest river in the world," exemplifies the best sort of educational writing: filled with facts and scientific information, the narrative only implies its lessons, impressing the reader primarily with its lyricism and sense of place. The author describes how the 4000-mile-long giant begins as a "cold trickle no wider than a baby's foot," gathers into thundering waterfalls and then spreads wide and deep through less mountainous land. Her story of the Amazon includes the environment it creates--forests "so damp and so wet / that the trees themselves rain." The text teems with the names of flora and fauna, with the sounds of events large ("BOOM / the fruit of the Cannon Ball tree / crashes to the ground") and small ( Tffffffffft, a bird is caught in a giant spiderweb"). Powzyk, a conservationist who is earning a doctorate in biology, shares Gilliland's understated approach. Using a subdued palette, she communicates the exotic by emphasizing texture and light. A powerful, poetic introduction. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-In just a few sentences per page, this picture book evokes the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of the Amazon. A map on the first page charts the river and its tributaries, although the countries through which it flows are not labeled. A brief note beside the map provides information in small print and sophisticated language. Then Gilliland follows the river, from its birthplace in the mountains ("...a cold trickle no wider than a baby's foot"), down into the jungle with its wealth of animals and plants. Her simple, descriptive lines at times take on a haikulike resonance. Powzyk's watercolor illustrations, predominantly done in greens and tans, complement the text, and reinforce the feeling of the rainforest's dampness and mystery. Other books for young readers on this area focus on facts about deforestation. Gilliland has chosen instead to convey a sense of the place itself, including only a hint-"People need it, but they destroy it"-about its endangered status. Some explanation will be necessary to help children make sense of that statement, but discussing it will enrich the shared reading experience between adults and children.
Ruth S. Vose, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ruth S. Vose, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring,
By A Customer
This review is from: River (Hardcover)
Beautifully written. It brings me to tears each time I read it. We need more children's books such as this that points out the need to preserve what we have.
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