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A river begins on high ground or in hills or mountains and flows down from the high ground to the lower ground, because of gravity. A river begins as a small stream, and gets bigger the farther it flows. The water in a river is called fresh water. It comes from rain or snow and it can usually be drunk safely, unless it has been polluted. The water in a sea cannot be drunk safely because it is salt water. Both people and animals often live near rivers. They need water to survive and, for humans, rivers were once the only means of fast transport.

The start of a river is called the source or head water. The part of the river that is near the source is called a 'young' river. Young rivers often have lots of small waterfalls and rapids. As the rivers travel downhill they begin to erode the ground taking small bits of soft rock and soil.

Over in a River: Flowing Out to the Sea

This river in Northern Australia only runs after heavy rain. The middle part of a river is called a mature river. A mature river makes a riverbed that is U-shaped. It might be very deep and run fast. It sweeps over small rocks and boulders, and makes big turns around hills and mountains. It is much wider than a young river, but not as wide as an old river. To cross over a mature river, people use bridges. Many cities and towns are built on the banks of mature rivers.

Many farms that keep animals such as dairy cows , horses and sheep are along mature rivers because the animals can drink from the river every day. The city of Florence was built beside the Arno River. A river usually ends by flowing into an ocean , a lake or a bigger river. The place where the river flows out into a bigger body of water is called the 'mouth' of the river.

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As a river flows towards its mouth, the countryside around the river often changes from hilly to flat. As it flows over the flat land the river becomes wider and slower.

A wide slow river is called an 'old river'. An old river often floods across the land after there is lots of rain at the headwaters. An old river slowly builds up its banks on either side; the high banks are called levees. An old river often meanders twists and turns , and sometimes, after a flood, it leaves lakes behind which are called ox-bows or billabongs.

Old rivers are the most useful type of river for growing crops. Corn , rice , fruit , cotton , hay , tobacco and sugar are some of the crops that are grown near old rivers. The shape of the mouth depends on the conditions of the sea where it flows. If there is a strong tide where the river meets the sea, the river forms an estuary.

An estuary is a wide, funnel -like mouth of the river. The fresh water of the river mixes slowly with the salt water, becoming brackish water — somewhat salty water. Many kinds of fish , clams , molluscs and other sealife live at estuaries. Many of the world's largest cities and harbours are at estuaries. Where a river flows out to the sea, it sometimes flows very slowly through sandy or muddy land, making lots of little islands as it flows.

I liked this combination of a counting book, learning about North American river animals book, and finding hidden animals book. The hidden animals essentially double the number of animals included in the book to twenty. LOVED the maps to show where animals lived!

My main complaints are that some hidden animals are in the crease so you cannot see them well. Also, the beaver is included in both the forest book and the river book so that is redundant. Overall its a great book with lots of facts about animals in the back. One person found this helpful. Full page color pictures that remind me of Eric Carle's style. Fun to read or sing to classic 'Over in the Meadow' tune. You get to learn a little about each critter at the end of the book and each page shows a small map of the river where their habitat is.

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Great for a range of ages newborn to middle school! Every teacher needs this book. It's not just for young grades who are learning to count, but for older grades who are learning about organisms, habitats, and the animal kingdom!!


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It is so chalk full of information! The opportunities to use it in the classroom abound! The illustrations are amazing! The song is wonderful, and easy for children to learn, not to mention that it is a melody that many children already know. So disappointed in the illustrations in this series of books. I bought them for my first grade to compliment our science curriculum.

Because this author does not let you see inside the book prior to buying, as most do, I had to hope that the animals would be illustrated in a way to better understand the characteristics of each animal. If you are looking for a song book with creative representation of an animal, it's fine..

This book and the others like it made a wonderful addition to my Pre-K classroom. The children love to sing the tune and ask me to read it again and again. They're also great for units on animals and ecosystems. Wonderful illustrations and a catchy song make this a must have for any classroom. Marianne Berkes has topped herself with her best book yet! Over in a River is a beautiful and brilliant book about the major rivers of the United States and the animals that make these rivers their habitat. As with the other books in her "Over" series, young readers will absorb the information without even realizing they are learning.

Each illustration includes a map that identifies the location of the river mentioned in the verse, the animals in their river habitat and a hidden animal that children will delight in spotting. Berkes concludes the book with extensive research about the rivers and animals, along with additional resources and tips from both the author and the illustrator. I was provided a paperback copy from the publisher to review, but once I saw how wonderful the book is, I bought a copy in hardback for my school library.

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Recommended for ages 3- 8. This is not a coloring book. It is also not a very good book. My wife uses books instead of cards for baby gifting. Only slightly more expensive than a greeting card, yet much more useful! See all 25 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Flowing Out to the Sea. Set up a giveaway. Customers who viewed this item also viewed.

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