Author: DAY, ALEXANDRA
Title: River Parade
Description: Viking. 1990. (ISBN: 9780670829460). Hardcover, 0.3 x 8.1 x 10.2 inches. Hardback with D/J in good condition. D/J some creasing and very tiny tear to top at spine. 1990 1st edition Viking. One blazingly hot summer day, a boy's father takes him for a boat ride on the river. At first, the youngster is a little frightened, but when some of his favorite toys fall into the water, they don't look scared at all. Father gently ties his son and three wooden toys to a tow-line and they all enjoy a cool swim, floating down the river as if in a parade. Shimmering with the summer heat, Day's watercolors are cool and inviting. In this simple, elegant picture book, her gentle, straightforward tale of father and son and their participation in the delights of nature becomes a joyous celebration of a happy day. To open this book is to plunge into limpid watercolors that fairly swim on the page, and to touch, through clear depths, a child's experience. On a hot day a boy, age five or six, goes on a boat ride with his father. They take along a large picnic basket and three wooden toys. A red and black spotted dog, a red and white duck, and a chunky giraffe are lined up on the gunwale as Dad rows down the gloriously shimmering river. One by one they fall/jump/are knocked into the water, but that's okay: Dad ties each to a long string, and they bob along in the parade of the title. Finally the young narrator (wearing a life vest) finds himself in the river, too. "It was cold and nice . It's wonderful to swim in the river, as long as you're on a string." Resonant as that sentiment is (and it's nice to find a father on the other end of the umbilical cord), understatement beautifully complements the heady, evocative illustrations. They glisten with heat, light, and movement, describing river, sky, air, people, and objects in rich strokes of aqueous color. Around one simple incident this book conjures up an ideal vision of a place, and a profound glimpse at the relationship between love and freedom, holding on and letting go. - used books, secondhand books, out of print books, hard to find books, for sale, second-hand books, college books, student books, nonfiction, first edition, signed copies, non-fiction books delivered world wide. ISBN 0-670-82946-3 0670829463. Used: Acceptable.

Keywords: 9780670829460