River of Dust

May 1, 2023
Soil travels from the Sahara to the Amazon. The narrator is the personification of dust in Africa addressing the Amazon. It reminisces that "Millions of years ago, / no ocean lay between us" but that "slowly, great forces tore us apart," referring to the continental drift. The voice reassures that "I've found a way to reach you, / to sustain you, / to help you flourish." The focus is on a collection of soil that originates in the Sahel in Africa. This section of land stretches across several countries "between / the Sahara Desert, to the north, / and the tropical savanna, / to the south." As the wind blows, this collection of phosphorus-rich dust crosses the Atlantic to eventually settle and enrich the soil of the Amazon rainforest. The lyrical narrative focuses on the whimsical aspects of the journey. The spare text ("the smudge on a finger, / the grime that swirls down a drain") is woven into Mello's bright and speckled textured illustrations. Dust is found trailing a charging group of gazelles in the savanna or swirled in the wing of a pelican over a colorful village on the riverside. Particles of dust are even lost "falling into a dolphin's eye," "perhaps floating forever" in a bustling ocean scene. The soil reaches its final destination, renewing the connection between biomes and highlighting the interconnections in the natural world. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An artistic introduction to a compelling sedimentary journey. (questions for curious minds, author's note) (Informational picture book. 5-8)

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July 1, 2023
The narrator here is dust from North Africa speaking directly to its destination, the Amazon rainforest. Poetic text meditates on the way Africa and South America were once joined: "Millions of years ago, no ocean lay between us. You and I were one. And then slowly, slowly, great forces tore us apart, creating seven continents surrounded by vast oceans." They are still connected by dust that blows continuously from the Sahel across the Atlantic to the Amazon, where it provides nutrients that support the Amazon basin's lush growth. Glorious digitally rendered double-page spreads echo the text's mood, mixing the particulars of cram-cram grass and baobab trees with expressionistic imagery that reinforces a sense of flow. Illustrations of landscapes and animals in warm earth tones with pops of bright color and nuance in their textures and shading will enchant many young readers. The vivid vocabulary and soothing cadence of the text are pleasing, if light on specifics; extensive back matter provides some thoughtful support for ecologically minded children and caregivers. Adrienne L. Pettinelli

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from July 24, 2023
“Millions of years ago,/ no ocean lay between us./ You and I were one.” This moving tribute to global interconnectedness narrates from the perspective of the dust of North Africa. On the dust’s long journey to deliver phosphorus to the Amazon, the harmattan wind sends it on from the Sahel, and on “across grasslands/ and through bulbous baobab trees” before it crosses the Atlantic. Smudgy strokes and thin-lined figures by Mello suggest the dust’s constant movement and the entities that witness its incredible migration. At voyage’s end, it delivers an emotional declaration of deep and abiding association: “I end my journey here, with you,// renewing our connection.” Distinctive lines by Hoffman lend a seriousness to this story, which prompts sincere awe for the natural world. Detailed back matter and an author’s note conclude. Ages 5–8.

July 1, 2023
he narrator here is dust from North Africa speaking directly to its destination, the Amazon rainforest. Poetic text meditates on the way Africa and South America were once joined: "Millions of years ago, no ocean lay between us. You and I were one. And then slowly, slowly, great forces tore us apart, creating seven continents surrounded by vast oceans." They are still connected by dust that blows continuously from the Sahel across the Atlantic to the Amazon, where it provides nutrients that support the Amazon basin's lush growth. Glorious digitally rendered double-page spreads echo the text's mood, mixing the particulars of cram-cram grass and baobab trees with expressionistic imagery that reinforces a sense of flow. Illustrations of landscapes and animals in warm earth tones with pops of bright color and nuance in their textures and shading will enchant many young readers. The vivid vocabulary and soothing cadence of the text are pleasing, if light on specifics; extensive back matter provides some thoughtful support for ecologically minded children and caregivers.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)