REVIEW: Today I Am a River

Details

Author: Kate Coombs
Illustrator: Anna Emilia Laitinen
Publisher: Sounds True
Expected Date of Publication: April 2023

Review

In Today I Am a River, a lyrical introduction states, “I can be anything / everything.” What follows are fourteen free verse poems, each on its own full page spread, that use phrases like “today I am” and “now I am” to personify various elements of nature, like animals, rain, clouds, and wind (to name a few). Backmatter discusses the principal of embodied learning and lists practical ways we can explore the world using our bodies.

The poems throughout Today I Am a River are easy to read and beautiful in their simplicity. They don’t feel beyond the capacity of a child themselves to write, but also don’t lack in sophistication, a balance for which this author should be applauded. The illustrations are soft and whimsical, though some have strange physics-defying features that may or may not have been intentional on the artist’s part. I prefer to err on the side of whimsy, but since the perspective is accurate in some illustrations and not others, it’s impossible to know for sure. The backmatter is informative and actionable, though the word “embodied” could have been better defined for young readers.

Minor, but a missed opportunity: since the first poem is Today I Am a River, I expected the poem Cloud with the line “…and become / a river again” would be the last. Instead, there are two more, ending with Evening, perhaps to make this more of a bedtime book.

Most characters present cis, straight, and able-bodied, with variations in skin tone on almost every page.

An excellent read and a fantastic addition to any shelf.

Reviewed digitally via NetGalley.