Going to the River

Going to the River is a simple narrative featuring a group of African animals on their way to the river. Each page introduces a new animal in a repetitive sentence structure that supports early word recognition and builds phonemic awareness. The story climaxes with the dramatic arrival of Lion, encouraging prediction and engagement. With strong picture-text connections, Going to the River reinforces high-frequency words, basic punctuation, and the use of upper-case letters. The vibrant illustrations and familiar sentence patterns help emergent readers gain confidence while learning about animals and African landscapes.

Educational Benefits

• Builds early reading fluency using repetition and high-frequency words.
• Reinforces letter recognition and sentence structure.
• Enhances predictive reading and comprehension skills.
• Supports vocabulary growth through animal names and descriptive text.

Classroom Ideas

• Practise matching upper- and lowercase letters using words from the text.
• Use animal figurines or illustrations to retell the story in sequence.
• Create a class mural of the animals and their journey to the river.
• Explore African habitats and compare with local Australian environments.

Safety & Information

• Suitable for ages 4-6
• 210mm x 148mm (landscape)
• Simple sentence structure and supportive images for early readers
• Ideal for guided reading and literacy rotation