This novella, once nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, is a lyrical book about rivers and fly fishing, about the human spirit, about brothers growing up and striking out on their own, about art and grace. A family in a simpler time and place grapples with timeless, complex issues about the nature of love. A tribute to nature, this novella is filled with beautiful imagery of canyons and rivers of Montana in the early 1900s.

Students explore literary concepts such as theme, allegory, viewpoint, foreshadowing, and motif. Students write essays, short stories, eulogies, newspaper articles, and journal entries. In addition, students research, debate, make class presentations, and identify locations on a map.