Book cover showing various animals and plants in and around a river, with the title "The River of Life.
Format: Board book
Age Range: 5-8
Book Size: 330mm x 232mm
ISBN: 9781917069052
Pages: 22
Publication Date: 25 June 2026
Price: £14.99

The River of Life

A Lift-The-Flap Book About the Amazing Animals That Live in Rivers Around the World

A beautifully illustrated lift-the-flap book about the wildlife that can be found in and around rivers written by conservation scientist Dr. Charles van Rees.

Rivers support life in their depths, on their banks, and in the sky above them. This book highlights some of the most fascinating river habitats in the world, with plenty of fun things for young readers to spot in each stunning illustration by Marc Pattenden. After spying a creature hidden in the scene, little hands can lift a flap to learn more about it, from snapping alligators in China’s Yangtze River to cute capybaras around the Amazon River.

The book introduces famous rivers around the world, including the Mississippi and the otters that roam its banks, and the endangered dolphins that call the River Ganges home. Readers will also meet the birds that rely on rivers for food during their epic migrations and discover the significance of the Nile River in Ancient Egyptian mythology.

By the end of the book kids will have a new-found appreciation for the role rivers play in ecosystems all over the world.

This is the second title in the series following The Tree of Life.

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Author & Illustrator

Dr. Charles van Rees is a conservation scientist and naturalist. His research is focused on how we manage, protect, and relate to the natural world. He’s an assistant professor at the Odum School of Ecology at The University of Georgia and the co-host of Nature Guys podcast.

Marc Pattenden is a self-taught illustrator from East Sussex, UK. As a child he drew endlessly, but it wasn’t until his son was born that he rediscovered his love of doodling. Marc has since graduated from doodling and now works full time as an illustrator. He spends much of his time drawing silly pictures containing forlorn looking yetis, giant purple robots and the like with the aim of creating colorful engaging work, full of texture and atmosphere.

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