London’s River Tales for Children

Stories of people who worked and lived on and by the Thames and its hidden tributaries flowing through London. There is an everyday magic in the very idea of discovering something that has lain beneath the surface for many years. London’s many rivers have been hidden for decades; the tidal Thames often washes ashore evidence of lives lived centuries ago. These tales tell of Roman legionnaires who worshipped the God Mithras. The temple was hidden beneath the streets that covered the River Walbrook. Tales of ferrymen, of waterside characters, of mudlarks, of sailors from far-flung places jumping ship at West India Docks and making their home in London. This book opens new corridors and passageways in the mind, re-casting London as a place where rivers played a huge part in the lives of everyday Londoners. AUTHORS: Anne Johnson has been a Londoner for fifty years. She is a professional storyteller and songwriter who is committed to bringing live storytelling and music into schools as the Director of Everyday Magic, which every year fires the imaginations of over 1,500 children at London schools. Sef Townsend has been a Londoner for nearly forty years and has been telling traditional tales from around the world almost as long as that. He loves travelling and collecting stories from many countries but is always surprised to find some of the best stories right here in lovely old London.
35 b/w illustrations