Rivers: Culture, Civilization, and Commerce

by Simon Chapman, Qu Lan (illustrator)

Explore some of the most amazing waterways of the world in this breathtaking adventure, complete with six fold-out pages for extra fun!

Rivers have shaped land and brought life, spawning entire civilizations from ancient times to the current day. In this stunning exploration of six remarkable rivers from around the world, readers will follow along with the fold-out pages on the incredible journey of each river from its source all the way to the ocean, discovering the geography and wildlife of these rivers as well as how they have become integral to civilization.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science Nature, History

64 pages, Hardcover

Published June 24, 2025

About the author

Simon has been entertaining adults and children with stories of his real-life adventures since 2001. He has recently returned from trekking around high snow peaks in Sichuan, China- where he was searching for the locations that inspired the novel, ‘Lost Horizon’ with its fabled hidden valley of ‘Shangri La’.

Reviews

[YSBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapman brings young readers from where rivers begin to the point where they meet the ocean, teaching about water, technological innovation, different organisms, and the cultural centrality of rivers along the way. This is in no way a light read - there are many pockets of dense information - but the book is written with accessibility in mind, providing readers with definitions of difficult vocabulary. One of the things that I appreciated most about this book is the diversity of examples that Chapman draws upon; young readers will learn about rivers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States, across Asia and Europe, and even in Antarctica! The most impactful pieces were the discussions around how major rivers have shaped cultures, such as how the seasons in ancient Egypt were tied to flooding patterns of the Nile or Hindu celebrations revolving around the Ganges. This is a fantastic resource for young readers. 

Beyond the information provided, the illustrations throughout this book are gorgeous! Each page looks hand-painted and is brilliantly conceived. The illustrations seamlessly guide readers from one piece of information to the next. The cities have a bustling quality to them and each organism is brought to life by Lan’s brush. The illustrations are not juvenile at all and would be equally appealing to an elementary school student or a middle schooler. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Rivers is a detailed and colorful look at rivers around the world. The illustrations are gorgeous to the eye - the information is almost too much to absorb. As a teacher, I am unsure how to use this in my classroom. I want it, though, because it is so beautiful.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS