River Literature (PDF)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Viking Penguin, New York. 1953 Grades: 6-Adult

• A boy and a runaway slave travel down the Mississippi on a raft in an exciting and sometimes dangerous trip. The Mississippi River influenced much of Twain's work, even his pen-name (from a riverboat working command). While the language and dialect reflect their time and can be discussed in class, Twain's humanity comes through.

Biography of a River: The Living Mississippi by Edith McCall Walker and Co., New York. 1990 Grades: 6-12

• This "biography" details the history of human interactions with the Mississippi, from Native Americans, European expeditions, and immigrant settlement to recent engineering and dam-building projects. The river "speaks" in the first person in the opening chapter. The emphasis on the "living" nature of the river underlines an important environmental lesson.

Flood: Wrestling with the Mississippi by Patricia Lauber. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. 1996 Grades 5-12

• Flood… explains that the Mississippi’s dynamic nature is to change its course, re-arrange the land, and leave its banks, occassionally causing great flooding. We try to control the river, but are not always successful. Well illustrated. The book asks how we should manage the Mississippi’s future, but falls short of a full look at restoration and alternatives.

Geography of the Earth by Susan Brooks; Oxford University Press, London & New York, 1991

• This children’s atlas has nice illustrations of landforms that show rivers and mountains.

Historical Atlas of the Earth by Stephen Jay Gould, et. al. Henry Holt Reference Book, Henry Holt & Co., 1996

• This large beautifully illustrated book describes the evolution of Earth landscapes to the present. Forces shaping the Earth are shown, as well as evolution of life and ecosystems.

Minn of the Mississippi by Clancy Holling Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 1951 Grades: 5-9

• The journey of Minn, a snapping turtle, is followed from northern Minnesota to the bayous of Louisiana. The turtle’s adventures with people, animals, and the changing seasons are vividly described, and bring the river’s history to life. Wonderful drawings and maps accompany the story. This Newbery honor book is highly recommended for Big River Journey classes.

Mississippi by Diane Siebert, illustrated by Greg Harlin, Harper Collins. 2001 Grades: 1-6

• A poetic journey down the length and breadth of the Mississippi River, this picture book depicts the origins, nature, human interactions and changes of the great river.

The Mississippi River (Ecosystems of North America series) by Maria Mudd Ruth, Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish, Tarrytown, New York. 2001 Grades: 4-10

• An excellent exploration of how the Mississippi River works ecologically, this well illustrated book examines the relationship between the river and its backwaters, floodplains, watershed, delta, plant life, animal life, and human life. Poses questions of the river’s future, articulates key science concepts, includes activities, glossary, and references.

Mississippi River: A Journey Down the Father of Waters by Peter Lourie, Boyds Mills Press, Honesdale, PA. 2000 Grades 4-9

• Author Peter Lourie travels the modern Mississippi by canoe and over land from Lake Itasca to the delta. Feel the river change from a peaceful shallow marsh to an industrial ocean port. Along the way you will travel through a navigation lock, explore historic sites, share the river with mighty barges, and hunker down for a hurricane in New Orleans.

Our Endangered Planet: Rivers and Lakes by Mary Hoff and Mary M. Rogers LernerPublications, Minneapolis. 1991 Grades: 4-9

• An attractive and user-friendly reference book covering the dangers of surface water pollution with many illustrations and photographs.

Painting the Dakota: Seth Eastman at Fort Snelling by Marybeth Lorbiecki, Afton Historical Society Press, Afton, MN. 2000 Grades: 4-adult

• Extraordinary watercolor paintings by an Army lieutenant depict Dakota Indian life in the area around Fort Snelling and the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers during the early-mid 1800s. From prairie and river landscapes to images of hunting, gardening and village life, Eastman’s paintings and Lorbiecki’s text bring the reader closer to the life and customs of the Dakota at a turning point both in their history and that of the Minnesota landscape. A useful complement to the book is the video, "Seth Eastman: Painting the Dakota," which includes the commentary of Dakota people (produced by Twin Cities Public Television and Afton Historical Society Press).

A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, San Diego. 1992 Grades: 1-5

• True story of the Nashua River Valley in North-Central Massachusetts from the time that the Native Americans settled there, naming it "River with the Pebbled Bottom." The book traces the impact of the industrial revolution on the river and the eventual clean-up campaign mounted by a local watershed association. The graphic borders are packed with historical information, showing the original wildlife, tools and utensils used by Native Americans and early settlers, and continuing on to modern artifacts.

The River That Gave Gifts: An Afro-American Story by Margo Humphrey Children's Book Press, San Francisco. 1987 Grades: K-5

• Four children in an African village make gifts for wise old Neema. Yanava, who is not good at making things, does not know what to give, and seeks inspiration from the river. In addition to the themes of respect for elders and the validity of different kinds of achievement, the river is portrayed as a primeval source of power.

Rivers (Make It Work! series) by Andrew Haslam & Barbara Taylor. Two-Can Publishing, London. 1996 Grades: 4-9

• Hands-on science and geography models and experiments fill this colorful, practical book about rivers and their features. Explores water cycle, river sources, drainage patterns, waterfalls, dams, deltas, human uses of rivers, flooding, managing rivers, and more.

Water by Luna Leopold, Kenneth Davis, et. al. Life Science Library, Time Incorporated, New York, 1996

• This book contains a wealth of up-to-date information about water science.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame; illustrated by Ernest Shepard Aerie Books, New York. 1988 Grades: 4-Adult

• This wonderful, humorous classic, filled with the curious lives of eccentric animal characters, takes place along a river. The scenic descriptions accurately reflect the habitats of each animal. While the book is often read out loud to younger children, the pace and comic conversations makes it highly entertaining for adults.