BOOK REVIEWS
Audubon Julie Leibach, July-August 2012
Mountains seem so vast and unchanging, yet their stoic facades conceal earth-shattering stories. In this alluring book a mother and daughter take a walk amid forested and snowcapped peaks. “Where do mountains come from Momma?” the pigtailed redhead asks. To this and many other questions befitting a curious child, the mother responds with wonderful analogies and imagery to explain such geologic processes as volcanic eruptions and plate tectonics. “Some of the tallest mountains grow where two pieces of land smash together,” says Momma. “The land is crinkled crunched, and folded, kind of like how cars get crunched up when they crash.” The colorful illustrations are quilt-like yet doodle-y, with fine squiggles and shapes. They beg readers to eye-spy for details, from hidden fossils to animals swimming near newly formed ocean islands.
Portland Book Review Michael Barton, June 2012
It is natural for children to ask questions. When those questions deal with science and nature, however, uninformed parents and educators can find it difficult to provide answers. From Mountain Press, known for its series of Roadside Geologies profiling many states, Catherine Morley's Where Do Mountains Come From Momma? provides a wonderful resource for an introduction to earth sciences. A young girl asks her mother questions about mountains, and the answers unfold. In just 32 pages, readers learn about plate tectonics, continental drift, fossils, mountain building by several mechanisms, volcanoes, erosion and vast amounts of geologic time. The text is perfectly minimal, while the detailed and full page illustrations provide simple visual answers. Most important, one can learn about asking questions and sharing the search for knowledge with loved ones. Where Do Mountains Come From Momma? also seems to stress two aspects of science education that have been given more attention recently: that parents should be engaged in learning about science with their children, and that young girls interested in science should be supported rather than discouraged. In both its ability to communicate concepts of earth science and encourage kids and adults alike to “wonder” about nature, Morley’s book succeeds.
The Midwest Book Review Children’s Bookwatch: May 2012
Where Do Mountains Come From Momma? is an educational picture book in question-and-answer format, that teaches young people about geology. When a young girl and her mother take a walk in the mountains, the young girl starts to ask her mother questions about where the mountains come from, and learns about the marvelous ways in which the earth works! “Mountains can also form where a piece of land is pulled in opposite directions by forces within the earth. Rocks break, just like a rubber band will break if you stretch it too far. The broken blocks of land move against each other, and some rise up to become mountains.” The colorful, stylized illustrations add a gentle touch to this fun book of amazing facts, ideal for parents to read aloud and share with their children.
Science News August 11th, 2012; Vol.182 #3 (p. 30) Where Do Mountains Come From, Momma? By Catherine Weyerhaeuser Morley
Get a little help answering an age-old question of kids, plus read about volcanoes, erosion and more in this book for younger readers. Mountain Press, 2012, 32 p., $12, ages 4–8
The Field Guide to Parenting Children’s Book Reviews, Workshops, and More Where Do Mountains Come From, Momma? By Catherine Weyerhaeuser Morley Mountain Press, 2012
As a little girl and her mother take a walk in the mountains, they notice that the mountains do not all look the same. In a question and answer format, the girl's curiosity leads to asking about where mountains come from, is there hot lava under us right now, and other good questions about the formation of the earth. The information is presented well, easy to understand and not too complex for young readers. The illustrations are wonderful, Bright saturated colors in pictures that fill the page and show great contrast and beauty in nature. A good choice for those uber-curious preschoolers on through first grade.
Skipping Stones March-April 2012
Accompanied by unique, lovely illustrations, the book creatively explores the origins of mountains. Charming and informative.
John McPhee Princeton University
...a nifty book, so wonderfully drawn and captioned.
Book Reviews
The Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Awards (SONWA) is pleased to announce "Where Do Rivers Go, Momma?," by Catherine L. Weyerhaeuser was chosen by our committee as a Notable Book in the Children's category among many other strong submittals as the 2016 book that best captures the spirit of humans' relationship with nature.
Children's Bookwatch: November 2016James A. Cox, Editor-in-ChiefDiane Donovan, EditorMidwest Book Review278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575: Where Do Rivers Go, Momma? Catherine Weyerhaeuser Mountain Press Publishing CompanyEvery child learns about the water cycle in school, and with the help of "Where Do Rivers Go, Momma?" they will come to love every aspect of it, from mighty rivers rushing downhill to the sea to rainbows formed by the sun shining on water droplets in the sky. Using pictures and language that children ages 6 to 9 will understand and enjoy, author and illustrator Catherine Weyerhaeuser combines her talents as a geologist, educator, and illustrator to describe how water moves around the Earth. Detailed illustrations of watery landscapes with lush ferns and aquatic creatures will thrill students in grades 1 to 4, and providing straightforward explanations of the water cycle, such as where water goes when it soaks into the ground, the final pages of "Where Do Rivers Go, Momma?" tell the stories of several well-known rivers and aquifers and the challenges we face in providing clean water to future generations. Beyond a simple teaching tool, Where Do Rivers Go, Momma? inspires its readers to become stewards of the blue planet making it a critically important and enduringly popular addition to family, school, and community library picture book science collections for young readers.
NSTA Recommends Website: Catherine L. Weyerhaeuser’s beautifully illustrated children’s book Where Do Rivers Go, Momma? chronicles a delightful conversation between a little girl and her mom. As they walk along a mountain stream in a spring rain the little girl wonders, Where do Rivers go? How old is water? What happens when water soaks into the earth? Why are some places so wet and other places so dry? The answers to these questions explain the water cycle using pictures and language young children can easily understand. This informational picture book is perfect for ages 7–9. Reviewer: Karen NesbitTitle: Where Do Rivers Go, Momma?