Mississippi River by Peter Lourie #31

Lourie, Peter. (2000). Mississippi River: A Journey Down the Father of Waters. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press.

Grades: 3 -6

Book Type: Photographic Essay

Curriculum Links: Social Studies

Author Credibility: Peter Lourie has traveled and studied places all over the world. For this book, he also traveled down the Mississippi River beginning at Lake Itasca near Canada and ending near the Gulf of Mexico.

Awards: Best Books of 2000 (Center for Children`s Books)

Summary:
This book is told through the eyes of the author, Peter Lourie. He actually canoed with a friend from Lake Itasca all the way down the Mississippi River ending near the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout the book, he discusses his experiences during his journey and provides information from the past and present about people and places along the way. The illustrations provide a photographic journey of his travel down the river along with historic photos of important places. The book is told in a very conversational tone that makes you feel like you are right there with him on his journey.

Standards: People, Places and Environments

Illustrations: The illustrations are full-color photographs taken along Peter Lourie`s journey down the Mississippi River. Also, black-and white photographs are dispersed throughout the book that show some historical places and people related to the Mississippi River.

Access Features: Prologue, table of contents, chapter headings, index

Classroom Use: This book could be used during a study of important rivers in the United States. It has so much history, past and present, that it would be a great book to use to discuss the geography of the Mississippi River and learn about the stories of the river.

Response: I really liked this book, because it was so interesting! There is so much fascinating information in this book about the river and people and places that live near the river. I enjoyed learning more about a river that is so important to the United States and our area!

Other books by Peter Lourie:
Amazon
Hudson River
Yukon River
Eric Canal
Everglades
Rio Grande