A River's Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn

By Patricia Newman and Natasha Donovan

A mighty river. A long history.

For thousands of years, the Elwha river flowed north to the sea. The river churned with salmon, which helped feed bears, otters, and eagles. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, known as the Strong People located in the Pacific Northwest, were grateful for the river's abundance. All that changed in the 1790s when strangers came who did not understand the river's gifts. The strangers built dams, and the environmental consequences were disastrous.

Sibert honoree Patricia Newman and award-winning illustrator Natasha Donovan join forces to tell the story of the Elwha, chronicling how the Strong People successfully fought to restore the river and their way of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing
• Release date: Sep 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781728473857

Patricia Newman

Patricia Newman wants us all to know we are part of nature. As a Robert F. Sibert Honor recipient, she shows us how our actions ripple around the world, empowers us to find our own connections to nature, and encourages us to use our imaginations to act on behalf of our communities. Patricia likes to think of her books as a contribution that helps make the world a better place for the next generation. Her nonfiction titles have received multiple starred reviews, Orbis Pictus Recommended Awards (NCTE), Green Earth Book Awards, several Eureka! Awards from the California Reading Association, and most have been included in the Bank Street College's Best Books of the Year lists. To learn more, visit her website at patriciamnewman.com or connect with her on social media.

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Reviews for A River's Gifts

[1randal-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Living here in the Pacific Northwest, and being an avid fly fisherman, I watched the saga of the removal of the Elwha dams. It was quite the fascinating process, and I am astounded at how quickly the salmon returned. "A River's Gifts" covers the story extremely well. And is written so that children can read and easily understand it. The book covers the Native American's history, the coming of the settlers, the construction of the dams, the fights to remove the dams, the removal itself, and the aftermath. All well written with great illustrations. This is a fantastic book that will really help young people to understand the story, and perhaps spark their interest in conservation. Highly recommend!