A River

Product Information

The text of A RIVER is simple, but the artwork and rich panoramas will allow you to use this book to discuss imagination, art style, and the environment with children. Something as simple as pointing out that you've gone with the main character on a journey without leaving the room can be a new consideration for the child of the right age. Look closely at each of the pictures showing the little boat. What do you think the girl can see, hear, smell and taste while she's sailing along the river? Marc Martin's picture books are always a delight - a feast for the eyes, gloriously narrated. [...] From a bedroom high above the city, a girl looks at a river stretching away in both directions. She imagines herself being swept along it “in a silver boat towards the horizon.” Subsequent spreads show her boat following the river through very different landscapes and locations, from car-jammed city flyovers and smoke-filled factories to patchwork fields and waterfalls. Information mixes with dreamscape as the river takes her through jungles, past mangroves and out into the open sea. A River follows a young girl with an imagination bigger than the city she lives in. Beautiful illustrations tell the story of a child as she turns the river running through her home into a magical world. Floating through different spaces, she ultimately discovers that inspiration lies not only in the outside world but within her very own bedroom, too.

Before reading, ask your children what they know about rivers and what experiences they can share. Is there a river near you? Where does it come from and where does it go? How do you cross a river or travel along it? Factories long ago used to create lots of pollution, but now they create less. How and why did things change? What still needs to be changed to make the world cleaner? How long does it take a water droplet to evaporate from your outdoor yard or indoor floor? Set up an investigation to time droplets in different locations. A River from Marc Martin is a beautifully rendered, imaginative picture book that takes its readers on a wonderful journey.If you had a little silver boat of your own, what would it be like? Describe your boat, then imagine you’re building it. What will you do, and which tools will you use? Mime actions like sawing planks and planing them; lifting them and hammering nails; dropping a heavy mast into place and tying a sail to it…. To identify specific techniques, e.g. imagery, metaphor, personification, powerful adjectives and repetition There are many ways to tie into science units. There is everything from the importance of rivers, to pollution and the Water lifecycle that are relevant. Talk about both illustrations – what details do you notice? What colours have been used? How do these pictures make you feel?

Worlds become real in this sumptuous offering from Marc Martin, an award-winning Australian illustrator, which will be enjoyed by the under fives as well as their parents.layering watercolour washes onto paper, then cutting shapes to create boulders, patchwork fields or rolling hills A RIVER is a magical book, a pretty book. A RIVER begins with an artist sitting at a desk in front of two windows. Flowing off to the left and right is green hued river that is weaving it's way through a city. It's not clear whether the figure is an adult or a child. It seems 'female' but not markedly so. Look at the front cover. What kind of place is this, do you think? Does it look like anywhere you recognize? Who could be in the boat and where could they they going? What other questions does this cover raise? What happens to a single water droplet when it’s alone? Observe one through a magnifier and talk about it. Try tipping the droplet to see what happens, then leave it alone. How long does it take to disappear? Where has it gone?