The Deep Cold River Story

Elizabeth Levin is a professor of psychology at Laurentian University.

Once upon a time there was a deep, cold river. The river flowed through
the town as rivers are supposed to, but one day it overflowed its banks.
The town was flooded and no one—including the police chief, the fire
chief, the mayor, and the high-school principal—knew what to do.
Finally a little girl told the river to get back to its bed. The river
didn’t listen until she promised to tell it a story every night
forever if it went straight to bed.

The plot of this picture book follows a very conventional theme wherein
the adults don’t know what to do and a child becomes the hero. While
this can be quite captivating for children, the story never quite
engages the reader because it is told so passively. (Apparently, it was
a bedtime story for the author’s son, which is fitting since it will
put you to sleep.) The blues and greens of the illustrations certainly
convey a watery feeling, and the book has a pleasing look to it; but it
would make a better choice as a nice bedtime story rather than a
treasure to read and reread. Recommended with reservations.