A child in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam sets off for his first day of the school year, both excited and nervous to be making the trip alone for the first time. He journeys by boat, and as he paddles out across the water and then through the mangrove forest, he describes the trip, and the plants and animals he encounters, in school-related metaphors. “I get to trace the edges of my path—do it for myself, write my name across the blackboard of the river.” The final stretch takes him through schools of fish, and past water buffalo bellowing their welcome near the shore. A journey unusual to most western readers ends on a familiar note as he arrives and greets his classmates: “Hello, friends!” Digitally created illustrations are especially effective showing the beauty and biodiversity of the Mekong River. Back matter includes information about the Mekong Delta where, the creators note, “water shapes [people’s] relationship with everything in their daily life.” (Ages 4-8)