1.Is it Logical? Yes, It is logical it tells how the river has impacted people lives. For example in this poem it states, "I've known the rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins". This Show the rivers is as ancient as humans or even more.2.Is the writer telling too much?No, The write is not telling you too much. He's giving you a understanding of his point of view. For example, " I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset ". He's giving you a setting of the mood and giving you an example of what he's talking about and how the rivers have impacted him . Audience: The audience for this book would be grades K-3. There aren’t a lot of words on the pages which would be fitting for the early grades. I feel that this would be a good book for second and third graders as an introduction to African culture.Appeal: The illustrations are gorgeous and realistic like. The book has simplicity about it but the content is so meaningful. It is an easy read and tells a story. Application: This is a good book to read to students so they can learn a story other than their own. This book illuminates to the readers how powerful a role that water has played in the lives of black people. After reading the story aloud to the students I would then ask them to try and remember all the ways that water played a vital role within the African culture. My younger grades could draw me pictures and the older grades could write their answers. This lesson could also be taken one step further by having the students then think about themselves. Is there anything that plays a powerful role in their culture? Award List: Coretta Scott King Award Nominee 2010Copyright: 2009
I never tire of Hughes and never, ever tire of examining Lewis's images. Great combination!
—bul
Beautifully written, I scoured through this and ate it up with delight.
—Rachel
An amazing poem set to even more amazing images. Great picture book.
—Alexastowe
Recommend for a school library.
—irisha99
