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Reviewed by: Taylor Coonelly, Elementary School Librarian Title: Life on the Thames
Author: Emma Shoard
Illustrator: Emma Shoard
Publisher: Child's Play
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: K-8 Genre/Type of Book: Nature
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: N/A
Recommended for a school library: Undecided
Reason(s) for choosing the book:
Nominated for the CYBILS award for Elementary and Middle Grade Nonfiction
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
An artfully illustrated and large-scale view of the Thames River.
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Review:
An artfully illustrated and large-scale view of the Thames River. The Thames River spans over 200 miles and contains a variety of ecosystems and wildlife that depend upon it for their livelihood. The book spans the entire length of the river, detailing various animals (otters, snakes, ducks, bats, swans, etc.), populations (oysters, insects, etc.), and technological spots (Thames Barrier, locks, narrowboats, etc.) on the Thames. The author shares beautiful watercolor illustrations of flora, fauna and landscapes, while providing historical and current information on the populations on the Thames. The end of the book features information on threats to the ecosystems depending on the river, as well as conservation efforts that are being done.
There is no doubt in my mind that this book is gorgeous - the watercolor illustrations were done by the author while actually studying the Thames, and the detail shows. The illustrations really are the star of the book, with the text and captions being additional information for readers. The text and subject matter are not the most relatable to young elementary readers, especially because most will not know about this river or care about the technological aspects of it, but will be drawn in by the animal illustrations and representation. I could see this book being used as a way to learn about ecosystems (possibly with a focus on other countries in the world), or animals (just showing students the illustrations is something that will drawn them in). I do see a place for this book in a elementary library, but more as a beautiful book featuring animals and less as a nonfiction text about a specific river/region, which may muddle the author's intent for this book.
Number of party hats:
For more information about this book, see the Publisher's Website