The River
Student resource
1863665161
Pack of 4 x 40 pp book
$99.00 (pack of 4)
The River is presented in different voices and in different times. It deals with the continuity of life as represented by the river, which provides a guide for a young Chinese girl, Xian, on her journey to the home of her grandparents.
The setting in China and the presentation of a different culture, traversing both modern and old, introduces Australian students to an understanding of Asian images and customs. The visual images complement the text and heighten the comprehension of the story.
Through the power of the imagination, The River presents characterisation (resourcefulness, determination, resolve) and life in China (religion, ways of living) embodied in both words and pictures to provide a rich textual experience for the reader.
There are numerous questions and many subjects that can de discussed in the classroom using The River as a starting point. For example: what images convey; the importance of history; belonging and fitting in; design, layout and placement of text; use of contrast; wisdom of older people; atmosphere and mood, and writing style. The wider concepts of visual literacy can be discussed to ascertain what and how they contribute to the overall reading of a book.
Please Click here for an Overview and Classroom Activities.
Also available in a set of 4, or as part of the Reading Enriches Learning Identity collection of four titles.
Review
Hong is bored with life until Ming gives her a small handwritten book. In it is the story of a small girl’s journey from the country to her grandparents in the city. The exquisite and evocative illustrations effectively extend and enhance the story.
Highly recommended.
Useful for: adventure, China, cultural understandings, family history, mapping, rivers, retellings, rural and urban life, visual literacy Related Learning Areas: Society and the Environment, English, The Arts.
*Reproduced with permission
www.edept.wa.edu.au/cmis/eval
Primary Focus Fiction, CMIS, Deparment of Ed, WA
2002 |