They Call Me River by Maciek Albrecht is the quiet story of a river’s lifecycle, from raindrop to ocean and back to raindrop.

Told from the river’s point of view, this story shows readers that a river’s life is anything but quiet and monotonous. With a parallel ancillary story featuring a human growing up alongside the river, the story reveals that a river’s life is full of falls and twists and play, always changing, always on the move toward something new. Like humans, rivers’ lives are complicated and rewarding and delightful and scary, and at the end of the day, rivers, like people, are part of something much larger than just themselves.

The collage-style illustrations are bright and colorful, and Albrect uses different patterns to convey the river’s many moods (circles as the water rushes and falls, and smooth lines to represent the calmer moments). Albrect is an award-winning creator of numerous animated films, and his expertise in creating movement shines in this book. The river practically flows off the pages as it winds its way through every spread of the book, and there’s a strong urge to turn the pages quickly to see the conclusion of the river’s story (which is really just an excuse to start the book over again).

They Call Me River published last month from Cameron Kids!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, visit my policies & disclosures page.