"Footprints by the River is the twelfth collection of children's writing and art published as part of 'Special Forever: An Environmental Communications Project', a partnership between the Murray-Darling Basin Commission and Primary English Teaching Association.
In a period of severe drought the resilience of nature, and of human communities, is highlighted in the work of these children, themselves residents of the Murray-Darling Basin.
They respond to hardships and isolation with a determination that is truly inspiring. They depict a landscape that is their own and about the mutual dependence of land and people. They recognise the finite nature of the Basin's natural resources and the need to work together for a sustainable future. Best of all, they celebrate life and the land and riverine environments that sustain it.
We set down their words and pictures in this collection so that they will remain, like footprints beside the many rivers that flow in the Murray-Darling Basin, to mark these children's hopeful journey through land and time." (Source: back cover)