Book Review: Rio Grande: From the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico
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What Parents Should Know
Average to above-average artwork (including photographs)
augment this straightforward travelogue.
Common Sense Media Review
RIO GRANDE is the author's account of his summer vacation
along one of the longest rivers in the United States: "One
summer I discovered what makes the Rio Grande so grand." The
book tries to do a lot in a very short space, resulting in a
scattershot presentation of culture, history, geography,
politics, interviews, and sightseeing. Despite this, RIO GRANDE
succeeds as a brief travelogue for children about the
southwestern United States and its Mexican border towns.
Indeed, one eleven-year-old boy was quick to plead his case for a whitewater-rafting trip after a look at the color photographs. The photos actually do look like typical vacation pictures: There are a few worth lingering over, and the rest are so-so. Among the pictures sure to catch kids' eyes: a tyke on the riverbank clutching his catch of the day,; a man submerged in the brown Rio Grande with only his smile showing, and an ancient petroglyph carved into a giant boulder. While the striking color photograph on the book's cover captures the play of light along the riverbank, it is not representative of the art inside.
Readers of RIO GRANDE are treated to glimpses into Southwest Native American customs, as well as Mexican history. The insights of people who live and work beside the river, and the author's emotional reaction to the river, are the best parts of RIO GRANDE, but both are in short supply. A better story about an American river is Voices of the River: Adventure on the Delaware.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
