A House by the River

by William Miller, Ying-Hwa Hu (Illustrator), Cornelius Van Wright (Illustrator)

Overview

A young girl learns her rickety, old house by the river is stronger than the fiercest storm because it is fortified by love and family.

As the worst storm in years approaches, Belinda wishes more than ever that she and her mother lived in town, where the houses are on high ground, safe from the rising river. Their old house, with its leaky roof and rickety stairs, hardly seems strong enough to endure the fierce winds and driving rain. If only her father were alive, Belinda thinks, then she'd feel safer.

But what Belinda discovers through the long night of the storm is that her house is made of more than wood and brick-it is also fortified by her family's love.

The award-winning team of William Miller, Cornelius Van Wright, and Ying-Hwa Hu present one of their most powerful works yet. A House by the River is an unforgettable story of love, courage, and the true meaning of home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620143056
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	04/01/2016
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

William Miller is the award-winning author of numerous books for children for Lee & Low. Mr. Miller lives in York, Pennsylvania, where he teaches African American literature and creative writing at York College.

Ying-Hwa Hu and her husband Cornelius Van Wright have illustrated dozens of award-winning books. Their illustrations have been praised by Kirkus Reviews as “bright, detailed and dynamic, vividly depicting . . . characters’ facial features and personalities.” Hu, who was born in Taiwan, lives in New York City.

Cornelius Van Wright and his wife Ying-Hwa Hu have illustrated dozens of award-winning books. Their illustrations have been praised by Kirkus Reviews as “bright, detailed and dynamic, vividly depicting . . . characters’ facial features and personalities.” Van Wright, a native New Yorker, lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

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From the Publisher

"Belinda didn't like her house by the river": the African American girl dislikes crawling underneath the porch where the chickens like to lay eggs, and she is apprehensive of the river, which periodically threatens to leap the flood wallshe would prefer to live in town. Then, during the biggest storm in a decade, her mother tells her how the house holds her family history, from the good omen her parents saw on their first night in the house to the time of her birth, when her now-deceased father "thanked the moon and stars for his daughter" as he pressed her hand against the window. After the storm, Belinda finds one smooth egg intact, a token of fragility "stronger than a storm" that rounds out Miller's tale without tying it up too neatly. Van Wright and Hu, previously teamed with Miller for Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree, match the telling dialogue and intimate details of his text with watercolors that combine volatile, atmospheric landscapes and evocatively shadowy interiors with emotionally sophisticated portraits. Together, author and illustrators allow subtle sensibilities a wide space rarely conceded in everyday life. Ages 4-up. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 2Belinda wants to live in town in one of the houses on the hill. She is afraid of the floods that threaten her small house on the river every spring. Her mother's insistence that their home is special makes no impression on the child, until a terrible storm forces them to spend the day together inside. Wrapped up in a blanket by the fire, Belinda hears the story of how hard her parents worked to buy the house and how her father placed her tiny hand against the window the night she was born. The reminiscences make Belinda feel her father's presence, even though he died shortly after her birth. A gentle climax shows mother and daughter pressing their hands on the window, telling the storm to "blow on," and feeling the house fight back against powerful winds. Watercolor illustrations portray the loving relationship between this African-American mother and child, as well as Belinda's fears. Independent readers are unlikely to appreciated the subtle story line, but the dramatic pictures and haunting text make this book a warm family story for sharing and discussing, especially on a stormy night.Jackie Hechtkopf, Talent House School, Fairfax, VA

School Library Journal

Miller (The Knee-High Man, 1996) finds metaphors in the smooth shell of an egg, in a storm, and in the family bonds with those who have passed away to tell the story of the house that shelters Belinda and her mother from the forces outside their door.

The river is rising and Belinda finds herself wishing, once again, for a clean, dry house like the homes of her classmates, closer to school, away from the elements. As the weather worsens, she greets her mother, who reassures her that the house will see them through the storm. As they watch and wait, Belinda's mother tells her about her father, and the dismal state of the house when they first moved in. The storm does pass, and Belinda is grateful for her home—and that's all. The narrative is made of reminiscences and descriptions of the storm's phases; Belinda and her mother happen to be African-Americans, but race is never a factor in the story. Luminous illustrations track the storm's progress and make Belinda's snug surroundings—leaky roof and all—glow. A quiet book—though not one to hand to children in the flood-wracked Midwest—with an unassuming, but sturdy, message.

Kirkus Reviews