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Author: Steve Van Zandt Illustrator: Katherine Zecca
Retail Price: Paperback with CD • $9.95 | Hardback with CD • $16.95 For an introduction to the water cycle or just to celebrate Earth Day, this is a book/CD combo that both pleases and informs. The author is not only an award-winning environmental educator and river guide, but also member of the well-known Banana Slug String Band. From the trickle of snowmelt to the roar of the ocean, River Song celebrates rivers as a fascinating, ever-changing source of life and joy. It also introduces the young reader to vocabulary such as eddy, riffle and meander, and tells about some of the plants, animals, and insects that depend on the river. The attached CD presents the Slug’s vibrant rendition. |
- Skipping Stones Honor Award
- Moonbeam Children’s Book Award (Gold)
pound, A white rapid river
makes a wonderful sound!”
Delightful text and illustrations reveal the sacred cycle of water. Born in the high mountains, a river sweeps and rolls and rushes, fostering abundant life all along its course. Through canyons, lakes, pools and riffles it flows on until it finally enters the sea. From there it rises up into the clouds and becomes rain and snow that fall on high mountains to again become a river. The text is from an irresistible song by the Banana Slug String Band, a children’s musical ensemble dedicated to environmental education. Additional information, resources, musical notation and a CD are included. A profound nature lesson joyfully imparted and sure to be a favorite with families and in the schoolroom. Ages 4 and up.
— Light of Consciousness (Spring 2008)
Riversong, created by Steve Van Zandt on his mother’s 1952 guitar, presents a folksy and moving tribute to river life and lifecycles in the delicate balance of nature. Van Zandt dedicated the book to his mother, who taught him “how to dance with life’s music.” In turn, he shares his appreciation for nature with the next generation. Singers, readers, and listeners wind through Zecca’s illustrations of the river, flora, and fauna over the course of days and seasons, and through the course of a human lifetime. We hear the river trickle and roar along with the joyful music of the Banana Slug String Band. Jump right in! The refrain begs for singing along: Blurp ah pa-shoosh rumbly pound / A white rapid river makes a wonderful sound. This “creative nonfiction” portrays the best of song and picture books, devoted entirely to preserving nature. The text is rounded out with a picture glossary and vast text and website resources, making its appeal ageless and timeless.
— Children’s Literature (June 2007)
Excellent book to teach children about rivers. It’s enjoyable, educational and it comes with a CD of the wonderful environmental music group for kids – the Banana Slug String Band singing the words to the “River Song.”
— Children Of The Earth (ChildrenOfTheEarth.org) (April 2008)
