What I like most about Lynne Cherry's environmental history of the Nashua River is that it is not only the story of the death of a river, but also of its rival. "River Ran Wild" begins thousands of years ago when Indian peoples first came through the Nash-a-way River Valley. Cherry tells of the history of the river, surrounding her text with smaller drawings representing the changing cultures of the various times depicted opposite full-page pictures. The two most telling pictures are basically "before" and "after" shots of the same scene: an aerial view of the Nashua River winding through a factory town where the river changes color from blue to green to brown as factories dump their waste into the water, and a final shot of the river restored to health today. Cherry, who has devoted her life to environmental issues, includes a timeline and an introduction that covers in more detail how the ecological death of this river came about, and the various community efforts and governmental laws that resulted in fish and game finally return to the Nashua. All too often book like this can only mourn the loss of another part of our environment, so it is nice to see something that that celebrates one of the all too few instances of success in getting back to what we once had.

I used this book with my third grade class when they were studying the effects of water pollution on a large body of water. They had already studied Native Americans in second grade and this book just blended the two subjects together. The step by step portrayal of man's harm to the Nashua River helped my children learn about how they were harming the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Lynne Cherry is a fantastic author and presents two great subjects that are highly interesting to children. Any teacher that teaches either Native Americans or water pollution should include this book in their lessons!

This book was given to me at age 12. I am now 17 and it is still my favorite. I will never outgrow the beautiful pictures, or the very important lesson it teaches. Every page is expertly laid out, with exquisite paintings depicting the river and the era being discussed. The message of environmental conservation and protection is inspiring. Lynne Cherry makes this vital part of our existence understandable to young children, and even adults, often the harder group to reach. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who wants their children to appreciate the world around them and learn that they can, and should, do their best to save it.

Visit 12th annual Lowell Celebrates Jack..always first weekend in Oct...JK's hometown..many notable authors & multi-media coverage.....all Beat!