FireFly

So begins Eileen Cameron's poetic rendering of a canyon's creation. Cameron captures millions of years of geology in 38 thrilling lines as she follows the water's journey down from the mountaintop, gaining power and strength with each mile. "Drops that trickle through crannies", become a stream that "cascades through the rocks" and then a river that "crashes through boulders ... digging the river bed, steepening the cliffs." And the canyon is born.

Michael Collier's stunning photographs of the creeks, streams, waterfalls, rivers, grottos and canyons of the Colorado evoke the lyrical beauty and raw power of the canyon and the forces that create it.

Through their art, Cameron and Collier have conveyed to the young reader a feeling of awe and wonder for one of nature's most spectacular creations.

Canyon comes out of Eileen Cameron's love for the canyon lands of America's west, which she has hiked and explored extensively. An ardent preservationist, she has worked to conserve both our natural and historical resources. Canyon is Eileen Cameron's first book for children.

Geologist, pilot, photographer and writer, Michael Collier has published books on the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Capitol Reef and Denali. He is a special projects writer for the U.S. Geological Survey and was the recipient of their Shoemaker Communication Award in 1997. In 2000, he received the National Park Service's Director's Award. Michael Collier lives in Flagstaff, Arizona where he also works as a family physician. Canyon is his first children's book.