The River That Flows Beside Me

Charlotte Guillain, Jo Empson

Book cover for The River That Flows Beside Me
Book cover for The River That Flows Beside Me

The River That Flows Beside Me

The River That Flows Beside Me

Charlotte Guillain, Jo Empson

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Description
*GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST KIDS BOOK AWARD 2023 WINNER*

This richly illustrated concertina book takes the reader from the top of a mountain spring, through varying landscapes, and follows a river's journey from its source to the sea. With a focus on the important role waterways play in human and environmental survival, The River That Flows Beside Me explores the changing landscapes along a river's journey and the habits and ecosystems that call the river their home.

A follow-up to The Street Beneath My Feet, The Skies Above My Eyes, and The Sea Below My Toes, this visually stunning book finds the river in the rocky peaks, and tracks it as it winds its way through coniferous forest, gushes through v-shaped valleys, and roars down magnificent waterfalls. Further downstream, readers will journey with the river past beaver dams, floodplains, oxbow lakes, paddle-boarders, bridges, and more.

On your journey, meet the animals that call the river home, including:
  • White-tailed deer
  • Grizzly bears
  • Otter
  • Smallmouth bass
  • Dragonflies
With a primary focus on the river's ecosystems, wildlife, and geological processesThe River That Flows Beside Me also explores the way that humans interact with the river landscape, using it both to survive and also to enjoy. The beauty and variety of river landscapes are bought to life by Jo Empson's rich illustrations.

This book is part of the Look Closer series, a set of concertina books that help teach us about the mysteries and wonders that are found in the world around us.

About the Author

Charlotte Guillain lives in Oxfordshire, UK, with her husband and co-author Adam and their two children. She writes fiction and non-fiction for children, including the picture book Spaghetti with the Yeti, which was shortlisted for Oscar's First Book Prize 2014 and has featured in CBeebies Bedtime Stories. Her first book in collaboration with illustrator Yuval Zommer, The Street Beneath My Feet, was shortlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2018 and named an ALSC Notable Children's Book 2018 in the All Ages category, as well as being selected by the Guardian as one of 15 'modern classics'. Charlotte and Yuval's follow-up title, The Skies Above My Eyes, continues with the innovative concertina format of their first book, this time looking up at the sky and universe above us.

Critical Reviews

"A vibrant concertina book that extends to 2.5 metres, exploring the relationship between humans, nature and rivers from the top of a mountain spring all the way to the sea."--The Bookseller - Back to School Issue

"Offers a charming and pleasant trip downriver that should remind anyone, wherever they are, that rivers are vital ecosystems."--The Eden Project

Publishing Information

Publisher: Words & Pictures
Pub date: 2023-10-24
Length: 20 pages

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