The Secret River (Rawlings book)

The Secret River is a story of Magical realism, blending real life and fantasy. Young Calpurnia is an aspiring poet living in rural Central Florida during the Great Depression. Hard times have come to her people; the animals have disappeared, her father is unable to catch fish to sell, and everyone in the community is too weak from hunger to work. Calpurnia bravely leaves home with her little dog, Buggy-Horse, to find the secret river that her neighbor Mother Albirtha has told her about. She intends to catch fish for her father to sell in his shop. When she finds the river she politely asks it to allow her to catch some fish and uses her creativity, and the pink ribbons from her hair, to catch them. On her way home, an owl, a bear and a panther each challenge her, and she has to give away some of her catch to get home. She also shares some fish with Mother Albirtha and takes the rest to her father, who gives them to the starving people in return for future payment. Strengthened by the fish, people begin working again. When the crisis is past Calpurnia searches for the river again, but cannot find it, as she no longer really needs it. Still, she realizes nothing is lost to us forever, and the book ends with one of her poems, expressing this sentiment: ==Background==

The Secret River is Rawlings' only book intended for children. According to Murray Laurie, the idea for the book came from something Rawlings had written in Cross Creek: "some day a poet will write a sad and lovely story of a Negro child." She discussed the idea with her Scribner's editor, Maxwell Perkins, who encouraged her to follow it up. While working on the manuscript she told Perkins she "deliberately avoided Negro dialect. 'No Uncle Remus or Little Black Sambo sort of stuff. At one point she thought about making the story into a full-length novel. After Rawlings' death in 1953, the manuscript for The Secret River was the only complete manuscript found among her papers. in order to survive the harshness of the world, as she herself did on the St. Johns. ==Themes==

The Secret River's primary theme revolves around Calpurnia's desire to help her family and friends survive tough times. As Barbara Elleman wrote in School Library Journal, "Overriding the adventure is the determination and spirited effort of the child to help her family in need." In The Secret River this struggle means Calpurnia must find her way to the river, convince it to yield its precious fish, then overcome danger from starving wild animals to return with the fish to her father. Calpurnia's courage and determination enable her to overcome every obstacle and save her community. The magic in the plot reinforces the sense of enchantment and gives the book a fairy-tale like quality, Unlike Jody, who realizes the magic of his childhood is "gone forever" with the death of his fawn, Calpurnia retains the secret river and the magic in her mind. ==Editions, awards==

The Secret River appeared two years after Rawlings' death with illustrations by the 1948 Caldecott Medal winner Leonard Weisgard, who used coffee-coloured paper as an innovative way to circumvent a taboo of the era against portraying dark-skinned characters. In his book In the Company of Writers, Charles Scribner discusses The Secret River's publication, noting Rawlings never mentions Calpurnia's race. While a few books were still appearing, "White (children's) publishers were still not open to books with Black themes", according to Joyce Braden Harris on "African and African-American Traditions in Language Arts". Scribner pointed out that "Whatever our decision, we could land on the wrong side of the school boards", The book received a Newbery Honor Award in 1956 for "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children", and was honored by the American Society of Graphic Arts. Unlike the more realistic illustrations by Weisgard, the Dillons emphasized the magical reality of the story, The Dillon's version of The Secret River received one of two honorable mentions in the fiction category of the 2012 BolognaRagazzi Awards, an international children's book award that honors the art and design of illustrated books worldwide. In the words of the Bologna jury, "It is only fitting that Marjorie Rawlings, the great American writer loved by so many generations of readers, is finally paid such a refined and sensitive tribute." ==Critical reception==

When The Secret River first appeared in 1955, Saturday Review called it a "little masterpiece of the imagination of childhood... so real and appealing one regrets that this is the only book the author wrote for children... Leonard Weisgard has done some of his most sensitive work in drawings that have a feeling for character and place and are quite perfect for the text." Decades later the book continued to receive strong reviews, with words like "Magical" and "timeless". Reviewers appreciated the message of hope conveyed in the simple story. as did Kirkus Reviews, calling it a "classic tale... Rawlings' voice is warm and tender, employing lilting syntax and descriptive language that resonates with warmth and humor. Calpurnia is a sweet delight... filled with love and compassion", and the Dillon's illustrations are, "glorious, glowing... nothing short of breathtaking". Monica and Hannah McRae Young, in their article "Books do justice to subjects of civil rights, racism", praise The Secret River as "A rare picture book depicting everyday black life". They believe modern readers will enjoy Calpunia and Buggy-horse as much as the original audience. ''Children's Literature'' agreed that the reissue would renew interest in the book. ==References==