Simon & Schuster The River

After reading this book only once, my four year old son is asking questions and understanding his own grief in a way we haven’t seen before. He lost his sister nearly two years ago, about four months after we lost our family dog. He has always been openly talked about her, but the way this book illustrates grief has done something amazing for him. I am glad we got it when we did, because at four-and-a-half he is able to understand the concepts of changing emotions much better than he would have two years ago. This is our second Tom Perceval book, and we will be getting many more. Our family thanks you!

Colourful. Bought as my grandson is called River and loves books.

bello, forse non il suo migliore, disegni molto belli, storia carina

The River by Tom Percival cleverly uses the image of the river to talk about a little boy’s emotions. Just like the river, Rowan has days when he feels wild and angry, and others when he is calm or playful. In a beautiful metaphor for grief, one particularly difficult and cold winter sees the river freeze over, as Rowan has to deal with the death of his dog. It takes time and a new focus for him to overcome his grief, and for the river to finally thaw.The story, told in simple language, is an exquisite symbiosis of images and words. The illustrations are stunning and capture the imagination. This book is a beautiful story, which can be used as an opener for those all-important discussions about emotions.

This picture book is absolutely beautiful. The message, the illustrations and the words marry together to make a fantastic discussion point about emotions and the feelings that we all naturally have. Even as an adult I have to admit to having a lump in my throat whilst reading it. I regularly read to my class and my own children and this is the best picture book I have come across in a very long time.