Superb! Whimsically illustrated and filled with facts—river-related and otherwise—that might just help me remember my geography for once. ( )

Peter Goes, author/illustrator of Timeline, has produced another stunning, large format children's nonfiction book. This time the subject is the waterways of the world.
The book is divided into seven regions: Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Antarctica. The first page in each section contains a map of the area covered showing the oceans and seas, the countries and the main rivers. Quirky icons show some aspects of the country's culture - e.g. Britain has clouds, a bowler-hatted man with an umbrella and a woman with a teapot while Netherlands features a wind turbine and a man on a bicycle. The following pages, which show the courses of the main rivers, contain engaging illustrations linked to relevant facts about nature, history and culture.
New Zealand features on the main Oceania page and there is a spread on the Waikato River that includes information on subjects as diverse as Abel Tasman, the haka, Polynesian navigation, the Sky Tower and Hobbiton.
This nonfiction picture book is very beautiful with its richly coloured pages and almost monochrome illustrations. Unfortunately, on some spreads, important details have been lost in the gutter. Rivers will appeal to anyone who enjoys maps and/or interesting facts and may spark more in-depth research on topics that appeal. ( )