Sneak preview: Children's book celebrates caring for the river
The picture book to be released later this year follows an adventurous mouse from storm drain to river to community cleanup. (Image by Kimberly Boustead)
This school year, our Environmental Stewardship Institute (ESI) youth council drafted a picture book for kids about river pollution and the power each of us has to make a difference.
"Little Mouse, Big River" follows the journey of a mouse through a storm drain and down a river. Along the way, he discovers the river isn’t as clean as he thought, and that pollution is hurting other animals. He decides to take action to help his new friends.
The council came up with the idea last fall, deciding to focus on urban storm drains and the river, since many people don’t understand the direct connection between the two. We hope the book will inspire young readers to take action to prevent and reduce stormwater pollution.
Artist Kimberly Boustead, who is illustrating the book, held several storyboarding workshops with the council. Council members enjoyed playing an active role in the book’s design, especially the character design. Writing the book was a collaborative process, and several council members noted that they now feel much more comfortable working in a large group and sharing their ideas.
Here's a preview of one of our draft page spreads:
(Illustration by Kimberly Boustead)
More ESI youth council highlights
The children’s book was just one of several projects the ESI council worked on this past school year.
The council illustrated the connection between storm drains and the river through a water quality mural, collaborating with St. Paul West Side artist Jesús Ramírez to design and paint this mural at Harriet Island. They stenciled storm drains with water quality reminders. And they visited with a St. Paul Public Works engineer, who provided scientific context on our storm drain systems for the book.
Council members also participated in FMR’s advocacy around Ford Area C, a toxic riverfront dumpsite in St. Paul. One council member spoke at FMR’s rally before the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency town hall and wrote a letter to the editor published in the local newspaper.
In the winter, the council snow-seeded FMR's prairie restoration site at Ole Olson Park in Minneapolis with our ecologists.
Looking ahead
Work on the children’s book continues this summer, and we hope to release the final version later this year. Sign up for our enewsletter for updates.
In the meantime, our ESI summer intensive program kicks off on June 22, with 25 students joining us for a summer of paddling, team building and career exploration. Two of our council members from last school year will serve as our summer assistants, gaining more environmental and leadership experience.
Thanks to partners and funders
Thank you to Mississippi Watershed Management Organization for funding this project.
And thanks to our 2026 Environmental Stewardship Institute funders: 3M Foundation, Beim Foundation, Berglund Foundation, Cargill Foundation, George Family Foundation, HB Fuller, Langwater Foundation, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Musser Fund, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Right Track, Step Up, St. Paul Jaycees Foundation, Trillium Family Foundation, Xcel Energy Foundation, WM Foundation.