Prayer for a river by Uncle Glenn Loughrey & Andrew Kelly

The endpapers show the fingers of a river, reaching out over the land, covering far more than the main trunk of the river itself. Tributaries take the water to Country where people tell stories, passing on information about the river, embedding it in their hearts and minds. River is water and water is life, bringing the parched brown land to life, watering the red river gums and kangaroo grass, while platypus and cockatoos drink. Water holds the stories of life: where to hunt turtles and frogs, or fish and birds and ducks. It is the basis of all things living, it weaves us altogether, linking our lives and the stories, ensuring both work together. 

From the water rising up form the sea, to being blown by the wind over the land where it falls as rain, the cyclic nature of rain and river is engrained in the minds of those who rely on it. 

The taut simplicity of the mantra: River is sacred, respect river and river will respect you, will speak to the readers of this book, as many examples of stories about rivers will be told, as children bring their knowledge and understanding to the group. Many Aboriginal stories are embedded in rivers and water, and a quick search in the library will enable these to be shared.

Teacher notes are available to enrich your reading.

Stunning illustrations carry the images of the river from cover to cover. Going from the rain soaking the earth beneath the trees, to mountains with water cascading down their sides,  to the river snaking through vistas of blue grass, the turtles swimming with the smaller creatures in the river, to the beautiful kaleidoscope of colour and movement of the river when it is thanked, each image is complete in itself, differing methods used to develop the images, making them something to be pored over and wondered at. 

Themes: Aboriginal themes, Rivers, Environment, Memory, Story.

Fran Knight