A woman’s 300-mile journey by canoe down the Hudson River, from its source in upstate New York to the Atlantic Ocean just south of New York City, is largely solitary but far from uneventful as chronicled in this slightly oversized yet understated picture book. Even with her map and careful planning, the fictional, contemporary, white woman doesn’t know what to expect around each bend. The first day she encounters a moose. The first night, as she camps, “The moon climbs up among the stars. She is alone, but not. The river stays beside her, mumbling to her and itself all through the night.” The artful prose and elegant watercolor illustrations are full of captivating details, describing moments of tension and moments calm, moments of reflection and moments of whimsy. Ample end matter includes an author’s note (which unfortunately refers to Native peoples from the area in the past-tense only), more about the Hudson River, sources, and a map of her journey marking where events in the story occurred. (Ages 6–9)