Where the River Begins

by Thomas Locker

Josh and Aaron love to watch the river flow gently past their house. Together they make up stories about it, and always they wonder where the river begins. One day the boys and their grandfather set out to find the answer, and together they explore the moods of nature and the bonds of a man and his grandsons. American Bookseller Pick of the Lists. Full color.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Art, Science, Animals, School

30 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Thomas Locker was one of the major American painters of the past century. In a career that spanned almost 60 years, he had over 75 solo exhibitions. His work ranged from the delicate to the monumental, but all had one thing in common: the beauty of the natural world. He had a deep appreciation for the elusive link between the human spirit and the sublime force of nature.

He spent his entire life in service to his two great passions: painting and nature. Through widespread exhibition of his artwork and publication of his illustrated children’s books, Mr. Locker touched the hearts and minds of countless people.

Mr. Locker’s early paintings were poetic landscapes. Dr. Joshua C. Taylor, former director of the National Collection of Fine Arts for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., wrote, "Although Locker’s landscapes are not glimpses of a new Arcadia, the quotation from the past re-emphasizes their cerebral play. They call attention less to Nature than to the complex intermingling of perception and thought in the mind of man. Suddenly, seeing becomes thinking, and thinking a delight to the age."

In 1982, Thomas Locker’s career took on a new and even broader dimension. In an effort to connect with a wider audience and educate younger minds, he began work on his first children’s picture book, Where the River Begins. Today, Mr. Locker’s exceptional paintings and illustrations grace the pages of some 30 different books, several of which he also wrote. These unique books have been honoured with numerous awards, including the prestigious Christopher Award, the John Burroughs Award, and the New York Times Award for best illustration.

Thomas Locker’s landscapes have a quality all their own. His years of experimentation and research into the glazing techniques and paint chemistry of traditional European painting have enabled him to achieve a new vision of the traditional for a non-traditional age.

His books have received many awards, including the John Burroughs Young Reader Award, NCTE Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts, NSTA-CBS Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children, the Christopher Award, and others.

http://www.rmichelson.com/Artist_Page...

Reviews

[Lobstergirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh and Aaron are modern day boys who live in a house on the banks of a wide, winding river in the improbably bucolic, unspoiled, undeveloped, and uninhabited manner of an Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Church, Thomas Cole, or Asher B. Durand landscape. When they wonder where the river begins, their grandfather suggests a camping trip to find out. They trudge past wheat fields, grazing sheep, towering cumulus clouds, along dirt roads that look as though last traversed by hay wagons. Thomas Locker wrote the text and painted the neo-Hudson River School oil and alkyd paintings. It's not often you see art of this quality in children's books, although he could stand to work on his figures, which are stiff and banal.

One of Locker's real landscapes, 'About the Picturesque.'

[Paige Cuthbertson| Turning_Every_Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this picture book for part of our Geography study of rivers in our little homeschool. Very simple, which is great for 1st and 2nd graders. Explains where the river begins and ends, while enriching it with a sense of nostalgia and affection. The part I loved most about this book was the illustrations. They were beautiful!!!! Each page deserved to be hung on a wall and admired. They were warm, lovely, and full of feeling.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations are the highlight of this book that shows a grandfather taking a journey with his grandsons to find the source of a river that runs by their house.

The narrative is short and I love that it shows extended family spending time together exploring nature.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book like the other by this author are exquisitely illustrated. Some of the pictures in this book are ones I would not mind having on my walls.
The story is simple and simplified. Perhaps there is a place where you can go from the mouth of a river to its headwaters in a couple of days walking pace. Still it works even in the condensed time frame.
The author/illustrator is a professional artist so the illustrations are the best reason for slowly browsing through this book.

[sincerely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Locker paintings are as good as they get 😍

[Hannah Parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Where the River Begins," is a beautifully written and illustrated book by Thomas Locker about Two boys, Aaron and Josh, who go with their grandfather to search for the beginning of the river. Along the way they see how the river is formed and learn to appreciate its beauty while facing harsh storms and ankle-high flooding. What makes this children's book so special is the breathtaking illustration and the quest-like atmosphere it adds to the story, which uses vivid description and imagery to allow the reader to feel as though they are traversing the river right alongside the two boys.

In the classroom this book could be used in a unit on imagery. After reading the story aloud to the class, they would create a paragraph in which they describe a landscape. Another option is to read this book at the beginning of a lesson on the geography of different bodies of water and how they work. After reading, students could explore a river on a field trip, taking notes of what they observe. This book could also be used in juxtaposition to another comparing the nomadic lifestyle of tribes to modern day camping and how they relate.

[Maggie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

After looking at Where the River Begins, this will help the students understand where the the beginning of the ocean water starts. This text is important because it allows the students to relate their personal experiences to being around the nature. The images and illustrations in the book provide critical information for the reader and helps the students to convey emotion when looking at the paintings within the book. I could look at the 3rd page of the image and ask the students why they pack tools or what type of tools they may use during this journey to walk all the way to the beginning of the river. When looking at the pages throughout the book, I think the students can infer from the images why the river may look the way it is in the nature. I love this book because it brings the students' personal experiences and how they can relate it to the book. As an activity, I would love to have the students create their own environment with a river and they must use material to create a river to show how it flows and why it flows the way it does.

[Lauren Dooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about two young boys who want to know where the start of the river near their home is. They get together with their grandfather and go on a camping journey to find the beginning. They go through some beautiful places on the way and learn new things from their grandfather. I enjoyed this book, however it did not keep my attention as much as I would have liked. The illustrations in the book are just gorgeous. I would probably read this to a 3rd or 4th grade class because they would be able to hold attention longer than younger children. This book is more about a long journey and would not be interesting to young children. I could use this book in my classroom to explain to children not to give up on something that you are searching for an answer to.

[Mike Renz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost every child looks at a stream or river and wonders where it begins. Its a natural question that generally is never really answered in a direct way. I found this book appealing because it addresses this question and because its about a child and grandfather who simply take a backpacking trip up the watershed. Its an experience very few people will ever have. I also loved seeing a grandfather portrayed as physically fit and engaged with his grandchild.

The illustrations are very appealing. As for the science, its pretty spot on.

Its one of the books I most enjoyed reading to my children and hope someday to read to my grandchildren.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where the River Begins (1984) by Thomas Locker is a very simple story about two boys who live near a great river and wonder where it begins. So they set out with their grandfather to find out. There's really not a whole lot to this, but the illustrations are gorgeous. They look like paintings you'd find in the lobby of some old, but elegant, hotel by a lake or a river. I've never read anything by this author but will be searching out more of his work. The illustrations alone are worth the read. My rating - 3/5

[Noelani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud. Beautifully illustrated story. I love the idea and wonder of where a river might begin. Sweet characters of 2 young boys adventuring with their grandfather. Makes me want to visit their river.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In this small, peaceful place the river began."

Two boys and their grandfather hike to where the source of their river is. Beautiful illustrations and a gentle text that evokes childhood memories and the joy of communing with nature.

[Katie Little]

This is a great book with beautiful illustrastions.

[Elijah Johnson]

This book is great for teaching students the paths rivers take as well as how they start and end. The illustrations are captivating and detailed spectacularly.

[Patrice]

BookTree
Liked

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So wholesome. Beautiful illustrations and a very sweet story. Jed loved it.

[Jebin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful picture book this was! Every page could be framed. The story was simple and beautiful.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story sharing about where and how rivers form, but it's also a precious story of a special adventure of Grandpa and grand sons. The illustrations are beautiful!

[Brigid Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Where The River Begins," by Thomas Locker, reads like a gentle memoir of the lazy summer two kids and their grandpa went on an adventure to find the source of the wide, slow river that saunters lazily past their house. The illustrations are beautiful and the text is lovely to read. The adventure is low-key exciting (they see interesting things, there's stuff to talk about, nobody's in danger) and they get home again safely having discovered something new. There's openings to talk about camping, rivers, mountains, etc. It's a nice book.

[Stina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #51 for 2014

Gorgeous illustrations, but the story wasn't really my style. I kept anticipating some challenge or obstacle or axe-murderer or something that never materialized. I am giving this 3 stars just on the strength of the artwork, but I suppose if you want a gentle story with a bit of an antiquated feel to it, this would be just the thing.

[Hope L. Justice · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are beautiful and have so much light in them, but the story is so underwhelming. Books with illustrations like this should have less text, if the illustrations are the focus of the book. There was no charm to this book, where it had so much potential to be an enduring story.

[Cws]

JEPIC-Loc

[Rocheal Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. Fantastic story-line. Awesome for predicting, making inferences, and other higher order thinking.

[Jude Brigley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a very beautiful book. I love the illustrations and the story is golden.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

gorgeous

[Maureen Sullivan]

I LOVE this book!!

[Isaac House]

Josh and Arron are two boys who love to sit and watch the river gently flow past their house. Together they make up stories about it, and they always wondered where the river began. The boys go on a journey with their grandfather to find the answer. The boys and their grandfather encounter many settings and at one point had to setup camp because they didn't make it in one day. However, they eventually make it and the boys couldn't be more excited.

This book was an extremely good story and had beautiful pictures.

This book would be good for an elementary level class just as a good story book for the kids to engage in.