June 2015: Rivers and Lakes (Master List and General Discussion))

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

In June, we will enjoy a refreshing visit to Rivers and Lakes. Please nominate picture books fitting this theme by posting in a comment below. With such a rich theme we are bound to have many fiction titles but I would also love to see some quality non-fiction picture books, too.

Please vote for the five books you would most like to read as a group by choosing from the books in our official nominations list (messages 2-16) and posting your selection in a comment below.

Votes will be accepted until May 17th.

[Jenny]

River Beds: Sleeping in the World's Rivers. Haven't read this but it sounds like interesting nonfiction.

Riparia's River

All Along the River
Dilly-Dally and the Nine Secrets
The Raft
River Story
Raven and River

A Day at the Lake
Carl's Summer Vacation

[Jenny]

This really doesn't quite fit since it is about a pond and not a lake, but it is nonfiction by an author I have read/enjoyed before...so I am stretching a bit and including it: Mallard Duck at Meadow View Pond

[Fjóla]

The Secret River is a book I've had on my wish list for a long time.
Over in a River: Flowing Out to the Sea is another one, somewhat non fiction I think,
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas, new book about the elephant seal who made her home in the Avon River in the city of Christchurch, illustrated by favorite Brian Floca
Mr. Gumpy's Outing takes place on a river,
How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark for some history.

And some more non-fiction:
The Big Rivers: The Missouri, the Mississippi, and the Ohio
Where the River Begins
Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean
A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History

[Manybooks]

Paddle-to-the-Sea comes to mind, although at 64 pages, it might be a bit long.

I will add more later.

[Manybooks]

Jenny wrote: "This really doesn't quite fit since it is about a pond and not a lake, but it is nonfiction by an author I have read/enjoyed before...so I am stretching a bit and including it: [book:Mallard Duck ..."

I think ponds and even creeks should also count, but I think that's up to Kathryn.

[Fjóla]

Paddle to the Sea, and a couple of other Caldecott reads I recall would fit:

Rain Drop Splash
The Boats on the River

And
Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe gets great reviews.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Ponds and creeks are allowed, sure! ;-)

[Judi]

Jenny wrote: "River Beds: Sleeping in the World's Rivers. Haven't read this but it sounds like interesting nonfiction.

Riparia's River

All Along the River
Di..."</i>

<i>Jenny wrote: "[book:River Beds: Sleeping in the World's Rivers. Haven't read this but it sounds like interesting nonfiction.

Riparia's River

All Along the River
[book:Di..."

The Gail Karwoski book is beautiful. I have it in my library at school. Gorgeous illustrations, great story.

[Cheryl has hopes her life will calm down soonish, Newbery Club host]

From memory:
A Day on the River is a book by kids liked when they were younger. (It's not well-known on GR, but two copies are in my library system, so I can't speak pro or con to availability.)


From an exploration of my library system's catalog:

Sacred River: The Ganges of India by Ted Lewin looks like interesting non-fiction (32 pp, but not sure of target audience).

Ditto Bats, Bugs, and Biodiversity: Adventures in the Amazonian Rain Forest by Susan E. Goodman (45 pp)

You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Hoover Dam!: An Explosive Job You'd Rather Not Do by Ian Graham is 32 pp. Would be a fun way for kids to learn that not all lakes are natural.

I'm really drawn to the cover of Muskrat Will Be Swimming by Cheryl Savageau, and Lisa Vegan gave it five stars too.

For the Master List that this thread will become:
Minn of the Mississippi by Holling Clancy Holling
(wonderful, but too long for this group read)

[Dolly]

Here are a few ideas:

The Unicorn and the Lake (it's a bit lengthy; more for older children)

Basho and the River Stones

Kumak's River: A Tale from the Far North

The River Dragon

Pele and the Rivers of Fire (stretching the 'river' theme a bit, but I really liked this one)

Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems (probably a stretch since it's about a pond vs. a lake, but I really liked this one as well)

[Dolly]

We've occasionally selected books that we've discussed before, but just for full disclosure, we've already discussed the following books here:

The Raft was selected for the August 2013 - Summer Outdoor Activities discussion.

A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History was chosen for the September 2012 - Ecosystems discussion.

and

Mayfly was chosen for the August 2012 - Traveling discussion.

[Manybooks]

Lala Salama: A Tanzanian Lullaby
Swimming Home
Wolf Island
If You Want to See a Caribou
Looking for Loons
Mayfly

The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering
The Delta Is My Home / Ehdiitat shanankat t'agoonch'uu Uvanga Nunatarmuitmi aimayuaqtunga
This Place Is Wet
River Discoveries
Marquette & Jolliet: Quest for the Mississippi
Cloudwalker

Crawdad Creek
Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale
Pond Year
Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond
Beaver Pond / Moose Pond
One Hungry Heron

[Karen]

Paddle-to-the-Sea classic - long -Great Lakes
Minn of the Mississippi classic- long
The Story About Ping - classic - China - some controversy
Shin-chi's Canoe First Nations
A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
Morning on the Lake First Nations
The Brook Tennyson's poem
The Negro Speaks of Rivers Langston Hughes poem -- recent title with fine illustrations
The Secret River

[Karen]

The Secret Pool vernal pools
Deer at the Brook Jim Arnosky - simple - very young children
The Brook Book Arnosky
Everglades

[Anne]

If we're counting ponds...
In the Small, Small Pond - love Fleming's bright illustrations

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

What a wonderful nominations list! Thank you. It's going to be hard to choose this month but it's time to VOTE!

Please vote for the five books you would most like to read as a group by choosing from the books in our official nominations list (messages 2-16) and posting your selection in a comment below.

Votes will be accepted until May 17th.

[Manybooks]

Cloudwalker

The Delta Is My Home / Ehdiitat shanankat t'agoonch'uu Uvanga Nunatarmuitmi aimayuaqtunga

Swimming Home

Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond

Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale

[Cheryl has hopes her life will calm down soonish, Newbery Club host]

My first vote goes to The Secret River . As a child, I loved the edition illustrated by Leonard Weisgard: and I recently had a chance to reread that. Let me tell you, the pictures influence the story a lot - if you can get both and compare them I highly recommend you do so. Both are wondrous.

Other than that, my library doesn't have many from the list. I am interested in the ones I did nominate, so I'll list them here as my votes - but feel free to weight them more lightly in the collation. :)

Sacred River: The Ganges of India

Bats, Bugs, and Biodiversity: Adventures in the Amazonian Rain Forest

You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Hoover Dam!: An Explosive Job You'd Rather Not Do Would be a fun way for kids to learn that not all lakes are natural.

Muskrat Will Be Swimming

[Dolly]

My votes:

Deer at the Brook (we love Jim Arnosky, so I would also be okay with The Brook Book)

Bats, Bugs, and Biodiversity: Adventures in the Amazonian Rain Forest

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Paddle-to-the-Sea

How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark

[Fjóla]

How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark

The Secret River

Over in a River: Flowing Out to the Sea

Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean

The Brook Book

[June]

Not feeling well and can't seem to figure out if there is a master list for rivers and lakes. Just remembered River Parade which I like to use for my Fathers programs.

[Jenny]

River Beds: Sleeping in the World's Rivers
Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale
The Secret River
Deer at the Brook
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Feel better, June! (after the voting closes this will become the master list so thank you for contributing.).

[June]

Thanks, Kathryn. Bad time with allergies, different medication is helping.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

June wrote: "Thanks, Kathryn. Bad time with allergies, different medication is helping."

Glad to hear you're getting relief. We went through two terrible months of allergies ourselves, so I sympathize.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

The votes are in and here are the books we will read together in June:

The Secret River illusrated by the Dillons (note there is a second edition, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard; either is fine, though would be fun to compare both!)

Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale

Bats, Bugs, and Biodiversity: Adventures in the Amazonian Rain Forest

Deer at the Brook

How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark

Sixth/Alternate:
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas

I'm realizing that we have mostly chosen books about rivers (sorry, lakes) but it looks like a great line-up

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

This list now becomes our Master List and General Discussion for those picture books about rivers and lakes not included in our official six club reads. Ongoing additions to the list, or discussion of titles on the list, is encouraged. Thank you!

[Cheryl has hopes her life will calm down soonish, Newbery Club host]

Great choices; nice mix of fable and non-fiction.