{"product_id":"the-child-and-the-river-9781681377421","title":"The Child and the River","description":"\u003cb\u003eA new translation of an evocative, \u003ci\u003eHuckleberry Finn\u003c\/i\u003e-esque French bestseller about a young farmboy, the river where he is forbidden to play, and the adventures that ensue when he disobeys his family's wishes.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe story of Henri Bosco's \u003ci\u003eThe Child and the River\u003c\/i\u003e is straightforward yet haunting: Pascalet, a boy growing up on a farm in France, is told he can play anywhere he likes--except by the river. Of course he dreams of going to the river, and one day he does. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe falls asleep in a small boat tied to an old dock, then wakes up to find himself drifting . . . Onto an island where some gypsies are camping. There, he sees another young boy, perhaps also a gypsy, tied up and beaten. Stealthily, he frees him, and the two escape in a boat, then spend an idyllic--beautifully described--week living freely on the river. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEventually, Gatzo, the other child, is somewhat magically reunited with his family. Pascalet returns home, desperately missing his friend and the wild life they shared . . . Some time later, Gatzo, orphaned, appears at Pascalet's doorstep: the two \"brothers,\" one light-skinned, the other darker, are reunited. (And that's material for another story, as the narrator, the grown-up Pascalet, tells us.) \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA sort of French \u003ci\u003eHuckleberry Finn\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Child and the River\u003c\/i\u003e is also considered a \"crossover\" book, appealing as much to adults as to children. It has sold more than three million copies in France.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e New York Review of Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/27\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781681377421\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 96\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/15\/2023\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Henri Bosco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42856440561845,"sku":"9781681377421","price":13.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_c2840f6a-6899-4897-a31d-7ea3242fb63f.jpg?v=1683039779","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-child-and-the-river-9781681377421","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}