Cover of Welcome to the River of Grass by Jane Yolen

Welcome to the River of Grass

WELCOME TO THE RIVER OF GRASS

Illustrated by Laura Regan

ISBN# 0-399-23221-4 Putnams hardcover

This is the fourth and I believe the last of the Welcome books, my poetic paean to various ecosystems. I have only been to the Everglades once, but it is a trip not forgotten. Thank goodness the powers that be are trying to save this glorious wilderness. I only hope it is not too little too late.

The book has been selected as a 2002 National Science Teachers Association Children’s Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children. It is also nominated for the Florida Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award 2002-2003. There is a Korean translation and an audio recording as part of a Houghton Mifflin Grade Four National and State Specific Social Studies Program, for 2005.

The Welcome to… books:

What reviewers have said:

  • “Writing in a form that falls somewhere between free verse and rhymed prose, Yolen continues her tour of world ecosystems…Regan not only portrays each leaf and creature in exact, natural detail, but expertly captures a sense of place, strongly conveying the light, the sky at different times of day, even the look and feel of the air….(T)hese two have again collaborated on an effective consciousness raiser for younger children, as evocative as it is informative.” — Kirkus
  • This poetically written exploration of life in the Everglades shows, in both language and illustration, the startling beauty of this region. Yolen uses imagery, repetition, and internal rhyme to evoke the somnolent pace of the Everglades throughout the day. The watercolors all but exhale the humidity of the place, so good is Regan at depicting the hot wetlands … Add this powerful book to Yolen and Regan’s other books about the enivronment” — Booklist
  • “… the informal structure of the verse reads well with frequent use of rhyme, rich imagery, and occasional humor. Teachers will appreciate the concluding note on the endangered Everglades ecosystem, and children will like the animals.” — School Library Journal
  • “Yolen’s poetic paean to the Florida Everglades presents the natural beauty of this endangered ecosystem in some telling images …” — Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books
  • “From the start readers are invited into a world of rare beauty … Regan’s marshy green
    and gold-tinged gouache evokes the wetlands’ hazy days.” — Publishers Weekly
  • “Yolen and Regan have collaborated on three other Welcome books, and their fourth is as hauntingly beautiful as the others. Yolen’s understated poetry speaks volumes, and Regan’s gouache illustrations of the Florida Everglades make it seem like a shimmering, mystical place.” — Children’s Literature

Available in hardcover.