River Friendly, River Wild

by Jane Kurtz, Neil Brennan (Illustrator)

Overview

This winter was snowy, this spring brought a terrible blizzard, and now
the river is rising.
Sandbags don't stop it, the dikes don't stop it, and late one night sirens warn everyone to evacuate. A girl and her family don't expect to be gone more than a couple of days, so they leave their cat and race for shelter with only a suitcase each. But as days stretch into weeks they worry: Is the cat safe? Will they have a home to return to? And how will their lives be changed?
In searing, personal poems, Jane Kurtz explores what it's like to struggle through a flood and pull your life together afterward. Inspired by Kurtz's own flood experience, this tale is realistic and unforgettable. Not just a moving story of one girl's courage, River Friendly, River Wild is a tribute to everyone who's ever faced great loss.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689820496
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	03/01/2000
Edition description:	1 ED
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but spent most of her childhood in Ethiopia. Jane speaks about being an author at schools and conferences and helped start Ethiopia Reads (EthiopiaReads.org), a nonprofit that has opened the first libraries for children in Ethiopia. She is the author of many books for children, including What Do They Do with All that Poo?, illustrated by Allison Black; Do Kangaroos Wear Seat Belts?, illustrated by Jane Manning; Anna Was Here; Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros, illustrated by Claire Messer; and the American Girl book Lanie.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The illustrations are glowing. Portrayals of the family and the neighborhood emphasize closeness and working together, underlining the message of community and cooperation."

— School Library Journal

"A book about the nature of home, community, and picking up the pieces."

— Booklist

"Offer[s] a clear sense of what it's like to live through a flood"

— Horn Book

"Powerful...an evocative look at recovery from personal loss."

— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2-5-This collection of poems tells of a child's experiences during a flood that sweeps through her town, forcing families to evacuate. The unnamed girl describes the creeping water, the hard work of making sandbags, the wrench of being forced to leave her beloved cat, and the crowded shelter where they watch the devastation on TV. While her Mom spends the next few weeks making "-lists/of everything she might have lost," the child worries about her pet. When they can finally return to the town, they drive past piles of sodden belongings and houses made dangerous by flood damage. To the child, the missing animal represents all she has lost, just as the unexpected finding of three intact glass Christmas tree angels represents survival to her mother, and foreshadows the eventual return of Kiwi, who has been rescued by a neighbor. The illustrations, done in oils overlaid with layers of oil glazes, are glowing and paradoxically warm, showing the devastation of the flood while managing to soften and mitigate its harshness. Portrayals of the family and the neighborhood emphasize closeness and working together, underlining the message of community and cooperation. "This was one terrific neighborhood," says dad, and as the family prepares to "make new memories" and stick together "wherever in the whole world we are," the words overlaid on a palely drawn but identifiable glass angel reassure readers that despite natural disasters, families can survive.-Marian Drabkin, Richmond Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

School Library Journal

Feelings of confusion, fear, loss, and ultimately hope are sensitively written in free verse against a backdrop of powerful illustrations depicting the ravages of nature and the process of rebuilding.
—Bookbag Magazine

Esmé Raji Codell

"The illustrations are glowing. Portrayals of the family and the neighborhood emphasize closeness and working together, underlining the message of community and cooperation."
— School Library Journal

"A book about the nature of home, community, and picking up the pieces."
— Booklist

"Offer[s] a clear sense of what it's like to live through a flood"
— Horn Book

"Powerful...an evocative look at recovery from personal loss."
— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher