What Is a River?

*Reviewed in the New York Times Book Review, 4/18/21
"The curious little girl narrator and her grandmother while away time at a riverbank in Vaicenavičiene's dreamy look at rivers and their significance to the world, in this picture book for older readers translated from Swedish. Grandma embroiders a tablecloth, and the girl collects flowers, when she asks, "What is a river?" The answers, one per double-page spread, explain many aspects of rivers, not only in the context of their features but also in a way that emphasizes our interconnectedness with nature. A river is a thread connecting people and places, says Grandma; a journey, a home, and much more. Each minilesson explains facts about rivers--for example, how deltas are created, which animals are nourished by the waterways, and how ancient Greeks thought that the world was encircled by one great river. These facts are beautifully illustrated and complemented by multimedia paintings and drawings, rendered in plenty of exquisite blues, of people, animals, plants, and more that sustain and are sustained by rivers. A book that can create a bedtime reverie and be used for nature study is a lovely find." --STARRED REVIEW, Booklist
"The book is reminiscent of an artist's diary, with type that has a handwritten feel and artwork that is fully fleshed out interspersed with simple pencil sketches. The beautiful, softly colored illustrations offer plenty of details and asides that invite readers to further explore the pages. Strategically placed questions offer even more opportunities for readers to get immersed in the book--and to come away with a better understanding of the complexity and importance of a river in our shared world. Readers may never look at a river the same way again." ―STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus
★A Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) Best Children's Book of 2021★ "What Is a River? [is] part prose poem and part encyclopedia, exploring the many things a river is and can be, ecologically and existentially... The narrative weaves in the encyclopedic--geology and history, curious statistics about famous rivers--but fact and feeling remain entwined in the poetic." --Maria Popova, The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)
★A Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2021★ "This beautiful book, originally published in Sweden, celebrates all the ways rivers work, including as refreshment, as a home for animals and as a source of energy. Along with essential facts about nature, the author-illustrator delves into the historical and emotional connections shaped by these waterways." --Washington Post
★Included in American Scientist's 2021 Holiday Gift Guide★ "'[The river] has hidden depths beneath its surface. Just like people, ' observes the little girl who narrates this poetic children's book. Its title, What Is a River?, is a question she asks her grandma, [who] gives an appropriately meandering and deep answer as she embroiders a tablecloth, which is a metaphor for the theme of interconnectedness emphasized in the book. Her answer is made up of a lovely balance of facts and metaphors, accompanied by pencil and mixed-media illustrations. A river is a thread connecting people across space and time, a journey, a home to all sorts of living things, a refreshment, a name, a meeting place, a mystery, a history, a smell, depth, energy, a reflection of humanity, a connection, a flow, and a story constantly being written. No one definition or metaphor can fully describe a river. But by the end of the book, a child reading it has a sense of what a river is, not just physically or geographically, but also in essence--emotionally, culturally, and historically... The layout of What Is a River? makes it possible for readers to take quick dips as they turn the pages, or to dive deeper into the many tributaries and pools that the narrator and her grandma explore as they journey through this reverie." --American Scientist