Book cover of A River's Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn

A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn

ISBN

9781541598706

Publisher & Publication Year

Millbrook Press, 2022

Publisher's Book Page

Author

Patricia Newman

Author's Website 

Illustrator

Natasha Donovan (Métis Nation of British Columbia)

Synopsis

Summary

For thousands of years, the Elwha river flowed north to the sea. The river churned with salmon, which helped feed bears, otters, and eagles. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, known as the Strong People located in the Pacific Northwest, were grateful for the river’s abundance. All that changed in the 1790s when strangers came who did not understand the river’s gifts. The strangers built dams, and the environmental consequences were disastrous. This book tells the story of the Elwha, chronicling how the Strong People successfully fought to restore the river and their way of life.

Notable Achievements

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

Reviews

Kirkus: "Beautifully illustrated and informative, this story conveys the fragility of our environment and the need to protect it... An illuminating glimpse at the Elwha River and its gifts."

Booklist: "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."

Educator Guide

Link to Guide

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