Here are 94 books that River Planet fans have personally recommended if you like
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I have been fascinated by rocks, fossils, and minerals since a childhood holiday in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England. It was then that I decided to become a geologist, following my passion across the world and its oceans. Wherever I travel, I learn so much about our planet from the rocks and from students and colleagues in the field. About just what geology has to offer in terms of resource and environmental management. In seeking to share some of my geo-enthusiasm through popular science writing and public lectures, I love to read what other authors write about Planet Earth. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.
Emeralds are my favourite gemstone, so I was immediately drawn to the title. As a geologist and oceanographer, I know just how much plants have shaped the nature of our planet, so I was intrigued. David Beerling is one of the world’s leading experts on paleoclimates, fossil plants, and how the two worlds are interwoven.
His masterful romp through Earth’s history from a plant perspective further opened my eyes to a plethora of fascinating details. The evolution of oxygen and greenhouse gases, the giant insects of the coal age, and flourishing forests of polar regions. I learned so much and loved it.
Plants have profoundly moulded the Earth's climate and the evolutionary trajectory of life. Far from being 'silent witnesses to the passage of time', plants are dynamic components of our world, shaping the environment throughout history as much as that environment has shaped them.
In The Emerald Planet, David Beerling puts plants centre stage, revealing the crucial role they have played in driving global changes in the environment, in recording hidden facets of Earth's history, and in helping us to predict its future. His account draws together evidence from fossil plants, from experiments with their living counterparts, and from computer models…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I have been fascinated by rocks, fossils, and minerals since a childhood holiday in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England. It was then that I decided to become a geologist, following my passion across the world and its oceans. Wherever I travel, I learn so much about our planet from the rocks and from students and colleagues in the field. About just what geology has to offer in terms of resource and environmental management. In seeking to share some of my geo-enthusiasm through popular science writing and public lectures, I love to read what other authors write about Planet Earth. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.
One of my early motivations for becoming a geologist was reading my father’s very old book on Geology in the Service of Man. I quickly saw the vital importance of Earth Science in providing the raw materials, energy resources, water, and soils, and the foundations for engineering that we need to survive. I wanted to be part of that grandiose story.
Now, on reading Lewis Dartnell’s sweeping coverage of human history through the lens of our planet’s natural resources and how we use them, I am taken back to how my childhood passion developed. I agree with Lewis Dartnell that today, as the planet’s population soars and environmental concerns take a back seat, it is more essential than ever that we learn to manage Earth’s finite resources.
'Origins by Lewis Dartnell stands comparison with Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens...A thrilling piece of Big History' Sunday Times
'A sweeping, brilliant overview of the history not only of our species but of the world' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads
When we talk about human history, we focus on great leaders, mass migration and decisive wars. But how has the Earth itself determined our destiny? How has our planet made us?
As a species we are shaped by our environment. Geological forces drove our evolution in East Africa; mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy…
I have been fascinated by rocks, fossils, and minerals since a childhood holiday in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England. It was then that I decided to become a geologist, following my passion across the world and its oceans. Wherever I travel, I learn so much about our planet from the rocks and from students and colleagues in the field. About just what geology has to offer in terms of resource and environmental management. In seeking to share some of my geo-enthusiasm through popular science writing and public lectures, I love to read what other authors write about Planet Earth. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.
I believe that we are incredibly lucky to be alive on Earth today. Not for the scourge of wars and poverty, of course, but for the sheer fact of human existence. The twists and turns of evolution and extinction through the past four billion years have created, maintained, and developed life into the dazzling fecundity we see today.
As an earth scientist and astrobiologist, David Waltham argues that all the bad things that could have happened to the climate have cancelled each other out. He suggests that we are alone in the universe on a very special planet. I agree with almost everything he says, but still think that we might be one of many lucky planets.
Science tells us that life elsewhere in the Universe is increasingly likely to be discovered. But in fact the Earth may be a very unusual planet - perhaps the only one like it in the entire visible Universe. In Lucky Planet David Waltham asks why, and comes up with some surprising and unconventional answers.
Recent geological, biological, and astronomical discoveries are bringing us closer to understanding whether we might be alone in the Universe, and this book uses these to question the conventional wisdom and suggest, instead, that the Earth may have had 'four billion years of good weather' purely…
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…
I have been fascinated by rocks, fossils, and minerals since a childhood holiday in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England. It was then that I decided to become a geologist, following my passion across the world and its oceans. Wherever I travel, I learn so much about our planet from the rocks and from students and colleagues in the field. About just what geology has to offer in terms of resource and environmental management. In seeking to share some of my geo-enthusiasm through popular science writing and public lectures, I love to read what other authors write about Planet Earth. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.
I am currently writing a scientific paper on the origin of life–my idea and the evidence for how disparate organic molecules first arranged themselves into something we could call life. Naturally, Paul Nurse’s brilliant exposition ‘What is Life’ spoke immediately to my own fascination with the subject–surely one of the most important questions in science.
As a Nobel prize-winning biologist, his elegant exploration of the topic is authoritative and measured, but also succinct and accessible. For such a big question, it’s an easy read. I loved it–I’m sure you will too.
The renowned biologist Paul Nurse has spent his career revealing how living cells work. In What Is Life?, he takes up the challenge of describing what it means to be alive in a way that every reader can understand.
It is a shared journey of discovery; step-by-step Nurse illuminates five great ideas that underpin biology-the Cell, the Gene, Evolution by Natural Selection, Life as Chemistry, and Life as Information. He introduces the scientists who made the most important advances, and, using his personal experiences in and out of the lab, he shares with us the challenges, the lucky breaks, and…
I’m Anne Lambelet, author-illustrator of Maria the Matador. The greatest compliment to any author-illustrator is that a child wants to keep spending time with your book after the first read-through is over. As an avid childhood reader who has maintained a passion for kid lit into my adulthood and my career, I’ve read a lot of picture books in my life, but the ones that have stuck with me are the ones that demanded a second, a third, even a fiftieth look. For that reason, I’ve chosen the following topic for my list of recommendations.
Again, Peter Goes could have multiple books here if this list were longer, but if I have to pick just one, it’ll be Rivers. Non-fiction books usually pack in a lot more information than fictional stories so you usually have to spend more time with them to absorb everything, but the thing that makes Rivers so special amongst non-fiction books is the presentation of information. Facts and legends flow across heavily illustrated maps, in and out of animals, architecture, mythological figures, and cultural vignettes. Each bit of imagery and text corresponds to the path of the river, mirroring its meandering journey across the page.
It’s a lot to process, but Goes’s graphic illustrative style and limited color palette prevent compositions from feeling too busy and overwhelming. Every time I come back to this book, I notice something new or learn a fact that I missed before. I don’t think looking…
1
author picked
Rivers
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
7,
8,
9, and
10.
What is this book about?
This breathtaking journey along the most important rivers in the world takes us from the Nile to the Amazon, the Mekong Delta to the Mississippi, the Murray to the Waikato.
Our seas and rivers tell a compelling story about our planet. Through tracking the life source of people, animals and the land itself, Peter Goes brings alive our history and our lives today. Each illustration includes major events and historical figures connected with its river, but also favorite stories and icons. This absorbing, playful book shows who we are, how we live and the myths we weave around our people…
I love rivers. The flow of water gives a sense of timelessness, the reflection of light from the surface brightens the colours on the banks and the wider stretches make a feeling of space. I have messed about in boats all my life and I am happiest on inland waterways. What I enjoyed as recreation alongside a medical career has grown into a vocation in my retirement. The more people who know about our beautiful rivers, the better the chances that we can protect them from exploitation and carelessness.
This book was sponsored by the National Trust and has the high quality that one expects of that organisation.
It is a very readable account of the geology and geography of rivers. It has helped me to understand what I see when I look at rivers and it encourages me to go to new places to learn more. Although it was written nearly 40 years ago, it is very relevant to the present times when rivers in many countries suffer from mismanagement of the environment.
The lovely photographs show how much there is that is worth better care.
The Duke's Christmas Redemption
by
Arietta Richmond,
A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.
Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…
I traveled the length of the Nile River from source to sea through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt to write a book that the Daily Beast called "a masterful narrative of investigative reportage, travel writing, and contemporary history," and that the Village Voice named to its ten best books of the year.
Water expert, academic, and documentary filmmaker Terje Tvedt fell hard for the Nile decades ago. His third book on the life-giving river is an expert weaver's tapestry of history, ecology, and politics on the Nile.
"[A] vivid travelogue." New Statesman
"Has much to offer." The Spectator
"Sparks the imagination." BBC History Magazine
"A fascinating study." BBC History Revealed Magazine
"Essential reading." All About History
"Valiant, valuable and entertaining." Times Literary Supplement
The greatest river in the world has a long and fascinating history. Professor Terje Tvedt, one of the world's leading experts on the history of waterways, travels upstream along the river's mouth to its sources. The result is a travelogue through 5000 years and 11 countries, from the Mediterranean to Central Africa. This is the fascinating story of the immense economic, political and mythical…
I expect that the folks at Shepherd.com approached me as a picture book author, since I’m the author of eleven picture books, including the four books of the Vampirina Ballerina series, which were adapted into the Disney Junior hit series Vampirina. But my thoughts and ideas about friendship and community really stem from once having been a child myself and from being a parent of four children, each of whom approached the roller coaster ride of childhood friendship in their unique ways. I was always happy to help them find answers in a book, even when those answers involved more, and deeper, questions.
After Bear falls into a river, which doesn’t know it’s a river, he’s joined by a series of forest friends, each of whom add to and enhances the group’s adventure until at the end, they have become friends in the community, all thanks to Bear’s misstep. The art is stunning, especially the use of color, which begins drably in the endpapers and ends up stunningly bright and light-filled. A Caldecott Honor book.
From award-winning author Richard T. Morris and bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham comes a cheerful and action-packed adventure about the importance of friendship and community.
Once there was a river flowing through a forest. The river didn't know it was capable of adventures until a big bear came along. But adventures aren't any fun by yourself, and so enters Froggy, Turtles, Beaver, Racoons, and Duck.
These very different animals take off downstream, but they didn't know they needed one another until thankfully, the river came along.
This hilarious picture book and heartfelt message celebrates the joy and fun that's in store…
I hold a master's in writing modern stories based on ancient myth and have always been fascinated by the power of mythology and the idea of the archetypal subconscious, combine this with the wonders of the natural world and beautifully constructed sentences, and you have my dream read. All the books on this list, even though two are historical, have a modern sensibility, all celebrate the power of nature, and all are masterful in their execution. Enjoy!
In the words of the writer herself, "this is an adult fairy tale about rivers, time, and the mystery of love." I have never read anything like this little gem of a book that immerses you in the natural world to such an extent, I felt like I became half-aquatic during the reading of it. It made me want to run away and live in the Tasmanian wilderness by a river, but then again, I’m not half woman, half fish, like the protagonist of the book. A strange and wonderful read.
The River Wife is a simple and subtle fable of love. It tells the story of the river wife - part human, part fish - whose duty is to tend the river, but instead falls in love with a man. Tender and melancholy, it speaks of desire and love, mothers and daughters, kinship and care, duty and sacrifice, water and wisdom. There is a great sternness and sadness here, coupled with gentleness. A love story, an environmental fable, a retelling of the Orpheus myth, The River Wife is grave, tender and otherworldly.
This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.
In these and other intimate conversations, the book…
I've been passionate about and engaged with rivers ever since growing up along streams in the Appalachian foothills of Pennsylvania. Now living in Oregon, I'm the author and photographer of 30 books about rivers, the environment, and adventure travel. My books include a history of river conservation, a primer on modern-day river issues, profiles of great rivers from the Youghiogheny in the East to the Snake and Columbia in the West, guidebooks, and photo essays. I've received the Ansel Adams Photography Award from the Sierra Club, the Communicator of the Year Award from the National Wildlife Federation, the Lifetime Achievement Award from American Rivers, a "paddler of the century" recognition from Paddler magazine, and numerous book honors.
This forgotten gem squarely focuses on the essence of rivers and the complex life systems and creatures they support. With a special perspective on the Northeast, biologist Amos brings to life the intricate connections between water, plants, and animals found in rivers and tells us in narrative style why they are essential to everything around them.
