If the Rivers Run Free

Rivers don’t make up a great percentage of the water on Earth, but they are incredibly important to us. Throughout history, towns and cities sprang up along the banks of rivers because rivers do so much for people. They carry goods and people from here to there, they supply fresh water to grow crops and for people to drink, they create power for the cities, and many other things. Over time, people misused rivers and contaminated them and sent them underground. But now, many are realizing we need to bring them back above ground and help to restore them and their natural habitats to their former glory for the good of us all.

Andrea Debbink has written the story of our rivers in beautiful, lyrical, rhyming text that will delight very young listeners. She makes a complex story easy for little ones to understand. Two pages of very good back matter explain things more completely. The illustrations by Nicole Wong are simply lovely. They use soft colors and are filled with lots of details that complete the text and will engage youngsters through every page. This sweet book will teach good lessons without ever letting the youngsters know they are learning.