Read the river city. Follow the Mississippi, its currents, birds, fish, and the people whose stories meet along the shore.
Can You Read Nature? · National Parks
River currents. Soaring steel. Wonder is waiting beneath the Gateway Arch.
Follow the Mississippi River, city wildlife, gardens, and the story of a national landmark through a nature book made for curious families exploring Gateway Arch National Park.
Ages 5–14+Family nature bookArt by Ally Britt
Read before you go see ten times more!
Hardcover
The keepsake nature book for curious explorers
$29.95hardcover
- The perfect gift for curious kids
- A nature book for your next city adventure
- Original art that makes place-based science memorable
- $1 to Children and Nature Network
Ebook
The nature book you can take anywhere
$12.95instant download
- Your perfect park companion, see 10x more
- Kinder to the planet, nothing in a landfill
- River and city science shines on a screen
- $1 to Children and Nature Network
Instant deliveryEbook delivered by email
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Gives back$1 supports nature
Look closer
Every spread reveals a new side of the arch.
Look around the landmark. Discover gardens, pollinators, birds, trees, and the living park beneath the monument.
Meet the artist
Ally Britt
Artist, storyteller, and curious observer of place
“I wanted every page to feel like a walk through St. Louis—where a great landmark, a living river, and everyday wildlife share one story.”
I was born and raised in the Ozark hills of Southwest Missouri, in a little town called Gainesville. Inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the Ozarks and growing with Disney classics I fell in love with the artwork of some of their films like the landscapes in both “Sleeping Beauty” and “Pocahontas.” Ever since I was a little kid, I always felt a pull towards artistic expression and would create drawings of both nature scenes and animals. As I grew up my love of art grew, and I began to develop my style as an artist. I eventually found my way to watercolor paints, which what I used on the artwork for this book.
When I became a teacher, my goal was to create the same joy in creating that my teachers gave to me. This series has pushed me to think outside the box when coming up with different ways to express the narrative in a visual form and I am so grateful for all the other artists that we have assembled as a team to create this series. I hope that this book and series not only shows kids that wonders of our world but also shows them that there are so many different styles of artistic expression and that anyone can be an artist.
Ally’s illustrations invite families to look beyond the landmark and discover the living river city around it.
About this book
What is inside
Explore the Gateway Arch, Mississippi River, city gardens, wildlife, history, changing seasons, conservation, and ten must-see experiences.
About the author
Narrated by Neil Rosen, children’s book author and founder of WildStork. Neil writes every book as an invitation to look closer, stay longer, and discover what families miss when they move too fast.
Reading level
Ages 5 to 14. Designed for the whole family, with lyrical storytelling and real science to share together.
Wear the wonder
Bring the Gateway Arch home. Wear the wonder.
Pair the hardcover nature book with the matching Gateway Arch shirt for a gift that keeps this remarkable landmark close long after the final page.
$67.91$79.90
Save $11.99
Choose your shirt option before adding both items to your cart.