Click to EnlargeClick to Enlarge

Starred Review A River's Gifts

The Mighty Elwha River Reborn

  • Interest Level: Grade 3 - Grade 6
  • Reading Level: Grade 4

A mighty river. A long history.

For thousands of years, the Elwha River flowed north through the Pacific Northwest, sharing its gifts with the animals, plants, and people along its banks. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, who call themselves the Strong People, caught salmon from the river, taking only what they needed. River, forest, salmon, and Strong People nourished one another.

Everything changed when strangers arrived in the 1790s. They did not understand the river’s gifts, and they saw the land and the river as theirs to tame. These strangers built dams, and the environmental consequences were disastrous.

Yet this is not the story of a tragedy. Sibert honoree Patricia Newman and award-winning illustrator Natasha Donovan join forces to tell a tale of hope and renewal, showing how the Strong People, a national park, and others worked together to remove the dams and restore this precious ecosystem so that all could enjoy the river’s gifts once again.

Format Your Price Add
978-1-5415-9870-6
 $23.99
978-1-7284-7384-0
 $37.99
979-8-7656-0720-6
 $39.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% off list price on hardcovers and ebooks when you buy direct! Digital purchases will be accessed on Lerner Digital Bookshelf. An account will be created for you after purchase.
Interest Level Grade 3 - Grade 6
Reading Level Grade 4
Genre Picture Books, Science
Category 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, 5KN: Narrative Nonfiction, STEM, STEM: Earth Science, STEM: Life Science/Animals
Copyright 2023
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Millbrook Press ™
Language English
Number of Pages 48
Publication Date 2022-09-06
Text Type Narrative Nonfiction
BISACS JNF037070, JNF018040, JNF076060
Dewey 639.909797/99
Dimensions 9.25 x 11
Lexile 950
Guided Reading Level W
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Author/Illustrator note, Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Original artwork, Reviewed, Starred Reviews, Teaching Guides, Timeline, and eSource

Awards

  • Washington Library Association Towner Award Nominee, Nominated, 2024
  • Green Earth Book Award Longlist, Long-listed, 2023
  • Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award Honorable Mention, Commended, 2023
  • Booklist Top 10 Environmental & Sustainability Books for Youth, Winner, 2023
  • Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices, Winner, 2023
  • Notable Award AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books, Long-listed, 2023
  • Notable Award Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Book, Commended, 2023
  • Notable Award Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, Winner, 2023
  • Notable Award ALA Notable Children's Book, Winner, 2023
  • Notable Award Kirkus Best Books of 2022 for Picture Books, Winner, 2022
  • SCBWI Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World, Short-listed, 2022
  • Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Books of the Year List, Winner, 2022
  • Eureka! Children's Book Award, Winner, 2022

Reviews

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)

Reviewed on 27 October 2022

“An absolute gem and should not be missed.”—Children’s Literature

Starred Review Booklist

Reviewed on 15 September 2022

“Effectively using a compelling story to illustrate the concept of rewilding, this informative, striking presentation is powerful in its hopeful story that integrates history, environmental appreciation, and explanations of the interdependence of species in a landscape and the politics necessary to save them.”—starred, Booklist

Starred Review Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed on 15 August 2022

“Beautifully illustrated and informative.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews