Rivers: An incredible journey from source to sea

By Author / Illustrator

Simon Chapman, Qu Lan

Genre

Environment

Age range(s)

Publisher

Templar Publishing

ISBN

9781787419926

Format

Hardback

Published

25-05-2023

Synopsis

From source to sea, go on a breath-taking adventure along a river and explore some of the greatest waterways of the world, with fold-out pages.
Rivers flow across every continent on our planet, shaping the land and bringing life. Towns, cities and entire civilisations have grown up on their banks, from the Ancient Mesopotamians 5,000 years ago. Turn the pages to follow the incredible journey of a river from its source in high up in the mountains, along its gorges, through its valleys, down its waterfalls and into the sea.

Explore the river's geography, discover the unique wildlife it supports, see how the waterways have shaped our world - and how we have shaped them. Featuring fold-out pages of six great rivers from around the world: Amazon (South America), Nile (Africa), Mississippi (North America), Rhine (Europe), Ganges (Asia) and Murray (Australia).

Written by self-confessed explorer and children's author Simon Chapman, expertly checked by river ecologist Francois Edwards and beautifully illustrated by Qu Lan.

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Reviews

Those whose favourite subject is geography will love Rivers: An incredible journey from source to sea. Equally, those who think of themselves artists: the illustrations by Qu Lan are just superb, not least the cover. Even those who like history will find plenty of interest. Moreover, the children I know will also be very excited by the fold-out panorama pages of the Danube, Ganges, Amazon, Murray, Nile and Mississippi.

Those who have 'done' the water cycle, rainforests, Antarctica, exploration, the impact of humans on landscapes, or other subjects commonly featuring on the primary school curriculum, will be surprised at how much more there is to learn. And not as dry facts, but as snippets of knowledge to be shared with friends: who knew about seasonal rivers on the world's coldest continent, or the crystal clear, rainbow-coloured waters (caused by waterweed actually) of the Caño Cristales; what an olm is and where it lives, or the names given to various types of waterfall. Apparently, sockeye salmon invariably choose the right-hand tributary to swim up; the Amazons were a tribe of women warriors in ancient Greek mythology; and Mark Twain's real name is... Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out this and more.

Highly recommended for use in class (see above), or to enjoy at home, whether bought (because who wouldn't want a copy?) or borrowed from a library. It will bear being revisited many times, just like the (even local) rivers we'll now want to explore, seeing the same processes shaping them and realising each one has a story.

64 pages / Reviewed by Jane Rew, school librarian