Song of the River by Joy Cowley illustrated by Kimberly Andrews

Publisher blurb: In this resonant story from Joy Cowley, Cam the mountain boy follows the river from its trickling source in the snow all the way to the sea. The river leads him through forest, farms and towns to the salty wind of the sea. The dramatic landscapes are packed with detail to discover in the world of the river.

Cam lives in the mountains with his grandfather. He is curious and asks when can they see the sea. Cam sees a trickle of water and hears a voice calling:

"Come with me. Come with me. I will take you to the sea."

Cam follows the trickle and it leads to a creek then a stream and then the stream becomes a river flowing beside farm lands and leading to the port where Cam finally sees a beach and the sea.

"It was wild and beautiful ... and it went on forever."

These lines reminded me of the words by Margaret Mahy (also from New Zealand) from her book The Man whose Mother was a Pirate.

“The little man could only stare. He hadn’t dreamed of the BIGNESS of the sea. He hadn’t dreamed of the blueness of it. He hadn’t thought it would roll like kettledrums, and swish itself on to the beach. He opened his mouth and the drift and the dream of it, the weave and the wave of it, the fume and foam of it never left him again. At his feet the sea stroked the sand with soft little paws. Farther out, the great, graceful breakers moved like kings into court, trailing the peacock-patterned sea behind them.”

This book jumped off the library shelf for two, or maybe three reasons. Firstly I really like the cover and so I expected to like the illustrations. I have put two covers here - one is the hardcover and the other the more affordable paperback. Secondly, I recognised the name Joy Cowley (I recently talked about her new book Good Night Good Beach) and thirdly the library I visit each week has added Sustainable Development Goal stickers to the covers of their books and this one had Goal 6 - Clean water and Sanitation. This link will take you to my post about this exceptional resource created by my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything. And this second link will take you to Goal 6.

Check out this Pinterest of other books you could use to explore this goal

Song of the River is a book you should add to your school library collection. Why? It has lyrical language and a story that makes geography accessible (notice the maps on the end papers) and as I mentioned the illustrations are very appealing. Take a look at these phrases:

The water splashed and sand in the voice of snow.

The creek laughed down the mountainside and chattered over stones.

The river sang in the voice of green and gold frogs.

The river drank other rivers ...

Cowley neatly modulates Cam’s adventure, sentences that build and accrete like that rivulet taking readers on the journey. Andrews’ diverse landscapes are solidly composed, shifting angles but maintaining an earthy, muted palette. Kirkus

Companion books:

A River

The River

Are we there yet? stage play based on the book by Alison Lester

I saw the stage play of Are we there yet? last week and it was terrific but I need to say a couple of things (not about the production which I thoroughly enjoyed). The Sydney Opera House is a terrific venue of course but the organisers missed an opportunity - I expected to see this famous book on sale in the foyer. If it was there I didn't see it.  I told my companion that I assume this 2004 book would now be out of print but today I have discovered it is not. It retails for $25 but there are copies available from chain stores for as low as $16. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything and I have previously discussed this book and wondered why the publisher never released it in a paperback format. The hardcover is a little expense but I do wonder why copies were not offered for sale in the theatre foyer?

My second concern is the age recommended by the Sydney Opera House. They list this play for ages 3+ but really in my experience (I had a three year old sitting in front of me - sigh) this production should have been listed as 8+ and with a recommendation to read the book first! 

This show was performed during the school holidays but if, as a teacher, you want to explore the book in more depth here are some ideas from Reading Australia. If you can find it the audio book of Are we there yet? is brilliant. You can listen to an audio sample here.  This sample includes by favourite scene when Billy says "call me Kylie!".  Teachers might also use the trailer to the play (see below). 

Now putting those tiny niggles aside can I say thank you to the Sydney Opera House for presenting this children's theatre production. 

Review of the play with photos: The Playhouse stage is set this summer holidays for 8-year-old Grace and her family to embark on a true coming-of-age tale that sees them journey across Australia. The camper van that serves as home for their 3-month expedition is the focal point of the play, with the audience experiencing the family’s adventures through the eyes of Grace and her brothers. A whole host of iconic Australian landmarks come to life through the narrative including the Great Australian Bight, Uluru, Surfer’s Paradise and a hilarious snapshot of Sydney which of course includes the inimitable Sydney Opera House. The staging is (simple), the acting poetic (and at times funny and silly), and the mood is wonderfully nostalgic with a beautiful message underlying.

We do not have enough theatre opportunities here in Sydney for children. Luckily we do have the Monkey Bar theatre company.  Their summer production was Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles illustrated by Rod Clement. You have missed this one but you might plan to see their April show of Emil and the Detectives. I do wish we had more theatre for children. Years ago I attended a festival of children's theatre in Calgary - it was spectacular and free! If you live in South Australian DreamBig looks like fun. 

The play is not a retelling of this famous Australian classic picture book - it is an interpretation. And as with the best of theatre especially theatre for children, it asks the audience to enter an imaginative world. We do not see inside the caravan but early on it is so easy to imagine. Using minimal props, fabulous lighting and perfect sound effects our imagination lets you see a mother whale and her calf out in the ocean, the children all diving into a swimming pool in Darwin, the fun of skimming a stone and the wonders of the changing colours of Uluru. 

My favourite scene was near the end when Grace sits near the caravan and recounts the family adventure and as she takes us back to each place the map of Australia lights up to show their journey.

This imaginative new production from CDP is adapted by multi-award-winning playwright Finegan Kruckmeyer. He also adapted another Alison Lester classic - Magic Beach.

Here is the stage play trailer. 

Here is the book blurb:

The year I turned eight, Mum and Dad took us on a trip around Australia. Luke, Billy and I missed school for the whole winter term. Join Grace and her family on their adventurous and sometimes funny expedition.

Here is the web site for Alison Lester. Awards for the book of Are we there yet?

• Winner in 2005 CBCA Book of the Year (Picture Book) Children's Book Council of Australia
• Shortlisted in 2006 Books I Love Best Yearly (BILBY) – QLD Awards (Early readers)
• Winner in 2006 Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA) (Picture Book)
• Shortlisted in 2007 Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA) (Picture Book)
• Shortlisted in 2008 Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA) (Picture Book)
• Honour Book in 2009 Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA) (Picture Book)
• Shortlisted in 2008 KROC Award (Picture Book)
• Winner in 2009 KROC Award (Picture Book)
• Winner in 2006 Young Australian Best Book Award (YABBA) (Picture Book)
• Winner in 2009 Young Australian Best Book Award (YABBA) (Picture Book)

You can hear Alison Lester talking about taking her children on the trip that inspired Are we there yet?. 

"I love those memories of that trip and as a family we all like it too. We say that it kind of gave us emotional glue that has stuck us all together really well, that time of just being on the road together," she says."

You can see art from the book here. And here is an ABC Conversation (51 minutes) with Alison and presenter Sarah Kanowski.

If you have read or seen Are we there yet? I suggest looking for this new Australian children's picture book which also explores the journey around our whole continent.

Martha Maps it Out by Leigh Hodgkinson

Beginning in the universe, Martha explains she is really tiny - you probably can't even find her. Let's zoom in a little. Now we can see the full solar system including planet earth but where is Martha? Let's get closer to our planet. The map shows all of the continents along with iconic animals and landmarks but we need to move even closer to see Martha. She lives in a city which has shops, a theatre, a library, parks and a huge train station but Martha does not live in the centre of the city so lets move across to her street. Martha lives in an apartment up on the top floor. Here is the map of her bedroom which is filled with all the things she loves. 

You can see inside this book here. And I found a video of Leigh Hodgkinson showing you how she draws maps. 

Every page is a treat with so much for young readers to explore and it’s delightfully positive, celebrating all the opportunities Martha has for adventure and discovery. Books for Keeps

Leigh Hodgkinson is brilliant at presenting quirky details in her visuals and this book of Martha’s maps is absolutely alive with them. To these are added a wealth of labels that children will love to explore as they, one hopes, like Martha will share that sense of optimism and excitement about what the future might hold. Red Reading Hub

I know lots of schools collect books about maps and mapping to link with the Geography syllabus. This is a book you can use with the youngest children in Kindergarten, Grade One and Grade Two. This book would also be a terrific gift and in paperback it is a very good price - why not pick up a few copies and use them for Birthday gifts?

The perfect companion book to read alongside Martha Maps it Out would be this one My Place in Space by Roland Harvey (sadly now out of print but sure to be in many school libraries).

I have previously talked about these:

My Heart is a Compass

Henry's Map

Camilla Cartographer

You can see other books by UK author Leigh Hodgkinson here. 

Camilla, Cartographer by Julie Dillemuth illustrated by Laura Wood

Camilla loves maps and she has aspirations to be a cartographer BUT it seems all the maps have already been made until the day snow covers everything and her neighbor Parsley cannot find her way to the creek. This calls for a new map. Camilla is a cartographer - she can make a new map. Look at this fabulous alliteration:

"They scrabbled, scraped and stomped."

"They pushed, packed, and pelted."

"Mulled, measured and marked."

When the map is finished the pair of friends celebrate by making 'snow angels' and a snowman.

What a terrific book!  I love maps in stories and using them in real life - way better than those maps that are used on phones. 

You can see the whole book here read by the author.

I would you pair this book book with a short story from the Anthology - Beetle Soup (alternate title And the Roo jumped over the Moon) entitled "Up the Creek" by Penny Matthews illustrated by Stephen Michael King. I would love to see this story re imagined as a picture book.

Here are some other terrific books about map making:

The Seven Seas by Ellen Jackson illustrated by Bill Slavin and Esperanca Melo

The Seven Seas will take readers on an unforgettable, 

rollicking trek to the seven seas and beyond. CBC

When you dip into my blog here at Momotimetoread do you sometimes wonder at the variety of books I seem to talk about?  Here again we have a book that is not new.  The Seven Seas was published in 2011 but I think it might be a good one to hunt out for a school library.

At the end of last year I was able to spend a few glorious hours in a very well stocked junior library which caters for children from Preschool to Grade 2.  The kind Teacher-Librarian was happy for me to fill a basket with picture books and novels. If I get the chance to do this again I will be a little more systematic but on this first visit I just fluttered around from shelf to shelf like a butterfly gathering nectar.

Told in rhyme the narrator (a rabbit) daydreams during a geography lesson and imagines exploring the seven seas.  His thoughts come in the form of a rhyme.

The Yellow Sea's a mystery, 
a sight that's worth the trip.
They say it's made of lemonade
and quite all right to sip.

This imaginative fellow visits the yellow sea, red sea, brown sea, black sea, purple sea and even pink sea.  I did start to question were all of these real.  "Yes, I have seen the seven seas, I've checked them off my list. Can you surmise which ones are lies and which of them exist?"

No need to grab an atlas - at the back of the book there is a world map and several fact pages including an explanation of the term sea and a set of questions and answers.  The flamingos flying east and west on the end papers are also fun.

I would link The Seven Seas with Jeremy's Tale by Duncan Ball and A Pet for Mrs Arbuckle. Sadly both of these books are out of print but if you can find them they will give you so much inspiration for plotting on maps of the world and exploring different forms of transport.  These books would be perfect use with the youngest students as they begin their exploration of world geography. Here is a review with more details.  I was interested to read about this author - Ellen Jackson  - she has written so many and such varied books but I had not seen her work until I read The Seven Seas.

Farmer Schulz's ducks by Colin Thiele illustrated by Mary Milton

I have been researching books to share with the teachers at my school as we explore our new Geography Syllabus.  I mentioned this in the last post. Farmer Schultz's ducks appeared on one of the lists I have been exploring. I have not read this book for a long time.  Now I discover this is a perfect book in so many ways.  What a pity it is long out of print.

The language of this book is inspirational as you would expect from a writer a poet like Colin Thiele :

"In springtime there was celery on the breath of the wind and falling blossom like confetti on the slopes, as if the hills were having a wedding."

"There were ducks with necks of opal and wings of amethyst"

"There were ducks with the sheen of emerald, of sapphire and turquoise and jasper, like the glint of Aladdin's treasure."

"And ducklings as tiny as tennis balls and as soft as the bobbles of golden wattle when it bloomed on the hills."

"They held their heads high and addled with dignity, although they had to jostle their elbows when they went through the gate."

For the Geography syllabus this story covers issues of urban development, the impact of people on an environment, town planning, problem solving and the local area of the Onkaparinga River in South Australia.

Farmer Schultz has a very productive farm in South Australia across the road from the river.  He has cows, geese, fruit trees, crops and over fifty ducks.

"Every morning after breakfast Farmer Schultz opened the backyard gate so that the ducks could go down to the river."

Sometimes a car comes by as they cross the road but the drivers always stop.  Sadly though, as time goes by the city begins to sprawl and the traffic becomes heavier.  Rushing cars don't always stop and one dreadful day a drake is run over. The family talk through all the possible solutions.  First they try a sign "Ducks Crossing" as suggested by the youngest family member Anna but this does not work because motorists ignore the sign. Then Anna suggests a bridge.  This works well (perhaps too well as now cars stop to watch the duck parade). Sadly though, once again there is a disaster.  A semi trailer plows into the bridge and this time many more ducks are killed.  There is a solution to this problem and once again it is little Anna who saves the day.

"Why don't you have a pipe,' she said, 'so the ducks can cross under the road?"

We have thousands of picture books in our school library.  Some people might say we have too many! I am sure there are some I could cull but this cannot be based on the age of the book.  Farmer Schulz's ducks was first published in 1986 and I fondly remember when it was short listed for the CBCA award. I was working in a tiny rural school and the students and I painted a huge mural of these very special ducks.  If we had culled Farmer Schultz's ducks In my current school our students would not get an opportunity to experience this wonderful book.

An inspired combination of realistic family story, fable, pungent social commentary, 

and constructive problem-solving, this is a fine story to share.

A River by Marc Martin

This term we are focusing on the new Geography syllabus.  I have been hunting for picture books to support our staff and I have found over 70 that are perfect.

A River is a visual delight and it fits in so well with our new syllabus taking the child from their home or local environment and view out of the window, through the city, "beyond the fields that look like giant patchwork quilts", into the hills, the jungle and out to sea.

To fully appreciate this very special book you need to see the art work.  Marc Martin shares nearly every image on his web site.  I would match A River with Cry me a River by Rodney McRae.

Here is a tiny selection of the other picture books for our Geography studies.