Journey to the River Sea - Abridged

Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna in 1925 and moved to England with her father when the Nazis came into power. Ibbotson wrote more than twenty books for children and young adults, many of which garnered nominations for major awards for children's literature in the UK, including the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize and the Whitbread Prize. Eva's critically acclaimed Journey to the River Sea won the Smarties Gold Medal in 2001. Set in the Amazon, it was written in honour of her deceased husband Alan, a former naturalist. Imaginative and humorous, Eva's books often convey her love of nature, in particular the Austrian countryside, which is evident in works such as The Star Of Kazan and A Song For Summer. Eva passed away at her home in Newcastle on October 20th 2010. Her final book, One Dog and His Boy, was published in May 2011.

Imelda Staunton is well know internationally for her many film roles, just some of which include Vera Drake, Shakespeare in Love , Sense and Sensibility and Nanny McPhee. Her television work includes Fingersmith, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, The Singing Detective and David Copperfield. She won the BAFTA for best actress for her role as Vera Drake and was also nominated for the best actress Oscar at the 77th Annual Academy Awards.