River

Starred review from July 15, 2019
A woman travels the length of the Hudson River by canoe in Cooper's (Train, 2013) latest, a 12-inch-square picture book. "Morning, a mountain lake. A traveler, a canoe." Cooper's text is spare in style yet detailed and lengthy: Paragraphs on each spread compete with pencil-and-watercolor illustrations that alternate among double-page panoramic landscapes of impressive views, smaller scenes against white space, and miniature vignettes of the faceless traveler in motion. The 300-mile solo journey itself begins with a question: "Can she do this?" A rock rises out of the water--no, "a moose." There are rapids to brave, thunder, cold, a bear cub to avoid, a dam around which to portage (such vocabulary is made clear in context), and many more challenges to face. There are also the peaceful joys of "paddling, sketching, eating, camping, paddling again," friendly faces at stops along the way, and the assurance that "she is strong, and she knows what she's doing." The myriad details about the journey will interest slightly older, outdoorsy children interested in adventure and travel. At the conclusion of this beautiful book, when the water-weary traveler ends her journey in the arms of her loved ones, ready to turn her sketches and words into paintings and a story, readers will feel they have traveled a journey themselves, and they just may wonder if they would ever have the strength, endurance, bravery and know-how to undertake such an endeavor themselves. Expansive content impressively and beautifully presented. (author's note, note on the Hudson River, sources, further reading, map) (Picture book. 6-12)

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Starred review from October 28, 2019
Seen from a distance, a woman in a canoe waves goodbye to people on the shore and sets out on a journey: “Three hundred miles stretch in front of her.” She’s paddling the Hudson River from the Adirondacks to the Atlantic Ocean. Sweeping pencil-and-watercolor layers trace rocks crowding the river and clouds crossing the sky. The woman’s solitude is underscored in lyrical prose: “There is nothing in the world but her, the bird, this place. No one knows where she is.” Cooper (Big Cat, Little Cat) makes the difficulties of the expedition clear: “She staggers—the canoe balancing on her shoulders—down the steep gravel path next to the dam. She trips, drops the canoe.” When she reaches the city, lively scenes greet her as all kinds of traffic plies the waters around Manhattan. As she completes the last, most dangerous part of the voyage out to the Atlantic, readers share in the paddler’s satisfaction. The woman changes during her journey, and the Hudson does, too, growing from mountain cataract to mighty waterway. An author’s note fills in a bit about the river’s history, but in this expansive, beautifully rendered offering, the attention is all on the voyage and the moments, tender and tense, that comprise it. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from November 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 3-Cooper loves to take children on experiential journeys, which he did so expertly in titles such as Train, Farm, and Beach. This time the excursion is on a mighty river-the Hudson-and the conveyance is a canoe. The book opens with a woman-the solo traveler-waving goodbye to her family and setting off from the headwaters of the river in the Adironacks on a 300-mile trek to New York Harbor. Such an ambitious outing takes extensive training and careful planning, but this woman is up to the task and there's no better way of appreciating the river ecosystem than this kind of up-close and intensely personal observation. Cooper captures it all in his gloriously expansive and fluid pencil and watercolor artwork in vignettes and full-bleed spreads. The woman's days consist largely of "paddling, sketching, eating, camping, and paddling again." She spots a variety of wildlife-moose, otters, mergansers, eagles, seals-crashes through a series of rapids, portages around a dam, and follows the locks at a waterfall. With each day's progress downriver, the countryside shifts from farmland to villages and larger towns. The woman has to think fast, takes her lumps in a squall, and paddles on until she reaches the city, and reunites with her family. Beyond her bragging rights, she has exhilarating stories to share and fond memories to hold onto, until her next adventure. VERDICT A marvelous vehicle for nature lovers, armchair travelers, and aspiring boaters and explorers.-Luann Toth, School Library Journal

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2019
Grades 1-4 *Starred Review* Two children, accompanied by their father, wave as their mother sets off to travel 300 miles down the Hudson River on her solitary adventure. In the evenings, the woman writes and draws in her sketchbook, detailing her exploits after setting up camp for the night. Caldecott Honor Book creator Cooper offers short descriptive paragraphs that encapsulate the striking beauty and harrowing challenges she encounters. The moon climbs up among the stars. She is alone, but not. The river stays beside her, mumbling to her and to itself all through the night. Evocative watercolor illustrations show differing perspectives and vary from tiny vignettes to large double-spread paintings offering many details while remaining soft-edged. The woman paddles by numerous animals including otters, a bear cub, cows, a moose, and an eagle. She passes under various types of bridges on her journey and notices many different kinds of boats in New York Harbor. Though she faces many challenging situations?rapids in a narrowing of the river, biting black flies, a strong wind that capsizes her canoe, and a tugboat that creates waves that endanger her and her small vessel?she survives them all to rejoin her family at home. An author's note, sources, and information about the river round out this beautiful book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)