Book Description
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.