What Is a River? : A report about a picture book on rivers

Sammanfattning: The thesis consist of two parts - a creative part and a written report.The creative part is a picture book about rivers and the plentiful connections they have with The creative part is a picture book about rivers and the plentiful connections they have with us humans. It follows a child and her grandma as they look for answers to a question – what is a river? In their imaginary expedition, they discover rivers flowing in the sky and in living organisms; meet pilgrims and conquistadores, magical shape-shifting river dolphins and older-than-dinosaurs species of sturgeons; fish and bathe; gathering all the stories they participate in into their own story about the river. The book combines factual infor­mation, various stories from riverine environments as well as more loose associations and metaphors. The themes I touch upon include folklore, myths, daily needs of people rivers cater to, cultural metaphors, environmental problems, peculiarities of plants and animals, history, language etc. Every spread of the book is like a different chapter about different meanings rivers might have in different contexts. The book tells about a river as a journey, home, a refreshment, a name, a meeting place, a riddle, memory, depth, energy, a reflection, a path, the ocean; and as a thread that connects stories of different times and places. To make my book, I used a variety of materials, including pencils, watercolours, gouache, digital drawing; and a collection of geographical, historical, mythological references I have gathered as well as my own memories of growing up close to a river. I have tried to balance both factually accurate and poetic storytelling to create a story of interconnectedness and wonder. The key questions I worked with were: how to tell a story about natural environment in an engaging way; how to find a narrative structure that would communicate my story effectively and would have its inner logic; how to deal with issues of historical consciousness, ecological awareness, management of natural resources in a context of children’s books; how to encourage readers to think about relations of their physical and emotional environemnts. The title of the book is What Is a River? . It is supposed to be for children, but also for adults who would find the subject interesting. The report analyses the background, processes, and results of making the book.