Book Descriptions
for My Mighty Journey by John Coy and Gaylord Schanilec
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
A waterfall recounts its history up to the present day in an arresting work that blends the unique personification of the falls with striking letterpress illustrations created from and inspired by elements of nature gathered on the Mississippi River. Today the falls are dammed and quieted at the Stone Arch bridge in Minneapolis (they moved 15 miles upriver across their history) but remember here thousands of years of geologic change, and the impact of nature and humans upon them over time. They are known by the Dakota as Owamniyomni, non-Natives as St. Anthony Falls. The author and illustrator collaborated with each other and consulted with many experts on the falls and surrounding area, including geologists, historians, and members of the Dakota Nation, whose history with the river and falls goes back generations and continues today. The author and illustrator’s note is comprised of a photo essay describing how the book and its artwork were created. (Ages 5–11)
CCBC Choices 2020. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
I am
a powerful
waterfall.
I listen.
I pay attention.
I have a long memory.
You might find it hard to believe,
but I have moved through time.
My Mighty Journey is the story of the only major waterfall on the Mississippi River--and the changes it has witnessed over twelve thousand years. Written from the perspective of the waterfall, the narrative considers the people who lived nearby, the ways they lived, and how the area around the waterfall changed drastically in the past two centuries.
Internationally acclaimed artist Gaylord Schanilec created stunning visual images featuring material collected along the riverbank to show the progression of the waterfall--eventually known as St. Anthony Falls--as it moved fifteen miles upriver from present-day St. Paul to its current location in downtown Minneapolis.
Many are surprised to learn that the falls has not always been locked in place. Perhaps more thought-provoking is that Europeans and their descendants have resided near the falls for less than three percent of the time people have lived here. My Mighty Journey helps readers realize that many of us are newcomers to this region and that there is so much to learn about the waterfall, this land, and our place in it
a powerful
waterfall.
I listen.
I pay attention.
I have a long memory.
You might find it hard to believe,
but I have moved through time.
My Mighty Journey is the story of the only major waterfall on the Mississippi River--and the changes it has witnessed over twelve thousand years. Written from the perspective of the waterfall, the narrative considers the people who lived nearby, the ways they lived, and how the area around the waterfall changed drastically in the past two centuries.
Internationally acclaimed artist Gaylord Schanilec created stunning visual images featuring material collected along the riverbank to show the progression of the waterfall--eventually known as St. Anthony Falls--as it moved fifteen miles upriver from present-day St. Paul to its current location in downtown Minneapolis.
Many are surprised to learn that the falls has not always been locked in place. Perhaps more thought-provoking is that Europeans and their descendants have resided near the falls for less than three percent of the time people have lived here. My Mighty Journey helps readers realize that many of us are newcomers to this region and that there is so much to learn about the waterfall, this land, and our place in it
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
