This is a beautifully illustrated picture book exploring our changing emotions. The analogy with the changing states of the river is a helpful and accessible tool for explaining emotions to a child, and this is a great book for parents to read with children to open the conversation about dealing with emotions, or even for explaining about depression. Unfortunately, this title isn't suitable for my library collection, but it would be perfect for families, guardians and carers.

The latest book release from the wonderfully talented Tom Percival blew me away when I read the eARC copy from NetGalley.

I adore Tom’s books and this one is something very special. It deals with the loss of a pet in the most delicate way.

It lets children know it’s ok to have different feelings and uses the analogy of the river to mirror the boys emotions and show that how we feel changes, ebbing and flowing like the water.

With beautiful, watercolour-esq illustrations full of realistic details that make you want to reread the book time and again, The River by Tom Percival would be a wonderful addition to any primary teacher's library. Addressing the topic of grief (loss of a pet) and using the changing nature of a river as a metaphor for the many different emotions experienced by the little boy in the story, this picture book is suitable for children of all ages (5+). An excellent resource for exploring rich descriptive language, this book could easily be used as a starting point for lessons on river habitats, as an introduction to discussing how people cope with tragedy in their lives and much more. I can definitely see myself using this book in many different ways in my classroom.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s UK for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The River is beautiful and poignant. Rowan loves the river. As we progress through the book we are able to identify many feelings and emotions that we may have through the river’s portrayal. Calm, wild or angry for example. After a harsh winter, the frozen river is not able to flow; just as emotions are at times supressed during life events. This book will be a huge asset to my library; I cannot wait to share it with colleagues and children at school. Thank you, Tom Percival, for creating this thought provoking, important book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As usual Tom Percival manages to gently tackle tricky subjects and experiences for children. With all the empathy that is needed this book shows a child dealing with grief and the loss of a loved one (a pet in this case) and how over time their loved one isn’t forgotten but that they can be happy without them.

This is a gorgeous book. It tells the story of Rowan, a little boy who lives near the river and plays nearby with his dog.
The story uses the changes in the river as a way to illustrate the different emotions experienced by Rowan.
The illustrations are beautiful.
Will definitely be purchasing this clever picture book.

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. I’ll definitely be adding a hardcopy to our library!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s UK for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The River by Tom Percival
Published by ‎Simon & Schuster Children's UK
The gorgeous scenery of the river throughout the seasons runs parallel to Rowans feelings, a young boy who can be quiet and calm or light and playful. But it is the river that Rowan loves and how it changes highlights how our behaviour and feelings can change too. A delightful picture book by the amazing Tom Percival who shares the right message that it is ok to feel different. A must have to share with all ages to keep the conversation of “it’s good to talk about our feelings” prominent in our classrooms & at home.
Joanne Bardgett - Year 3 teacher, lover of children’s literature.
#TomPercival
#TheRiver

Clever and told with great simplicity, this little read is about a lad called Rowan, and the river that flows past his home. He and it have the same kind of temperament – but one bad winter Rowan and the river both freeze up – and they stay like that for months. The very fact they actually share their nature, in this circumstance, is quite a magical thing for a young reader to consider, and the book actually manages to be about mental health issues, and self-help messages, without ever seeming to be anything other than a story about a boy, a waterway and – well, that would be telling. Visually, the artwork is stunning when allowed to use the full double-page spread format, but even when reduced to smaller cameos it is still quite marvellous. Rowan cannot see the way to turn the corner out of his bad patch; I cannot see a book like this being done better.

A beautiful portrayal of the emotional rollercoaster that is life, reflected in the changing tempo of a river.

The cascades, slow meanders and deep winters of the water follow one boy's trials, triumphs and traumas as he makes a journey of healing.

Another gorgeous book from Tom Percival. The way we see the river relating to how Rowan sees his emotions - always changing & sometimes unpredictable. Rowan's distraction with the bird was a great way to shift his focus & divert his energy & really see how he can help.

Tom's illustrations are always gorgeous & this one is another collection of lovely details to talk about. Love it.