LaMear, left, a former Astoria mayor and retired librarian, shows the new book’s cover.

Where does the mighty Columbia River start, and what might the journey be like to follow it across 1,200 miles, from Astoria to the source?

This is the topic that Astoria author Arline LaMear explores in her new children’s book, “Where Does the River Start,” subtitled “Origins of the Great Columbia River” and illustrated by local artist Laura Janes.

The book, which is in the publishing process and is expected in the spring, follows two dogs, Scruffy and Scout, as they travel from the mouth of the Columbia up to its origin, 2,690 feet above sea level in Columbia Lake in British Columbia.

“It answers a question that probably a lot of people have,” said LaMear, a retired librarian and former Astoria mayor. “Hopefully children are wondering, ‘ … This great big river where I live, where does it start?’”

Introducing young readers to history

Delving into history and sharing its lessons isn’t a new experience for LaMear, who worked as a school librarian in Fairfax County, Virginia, before moving to Astoria and serving as a research librarian at the Columbia River Maritime Museum for 17 years.

She drew inspiration for “Where Does the River Start,” as well as her debut children’s book, “Lewis and Clark: The Astoria Cats,” from a couple of sources. The first is children’s author Cheryl Shaw Barnes, who LaMear met while living in Virginia.

“She takes a complex topic and makes it fun for kids,” LaMear said, referencing Barnes’ book “House Mouse, Senate Mouse,” which explores how laws are created in the United States through the eyes of mouse characters as they help lead the process of selecting a national cheese.

“That’s what got me started. I thought, ‘It’s fun to take a topic like that and then make it into a fun book for kids to read,’” LaMear said.

When she moved to Astoria, she wanted to write about the history of the lower Columbia region through a picture book, since it was hard to find anything like that.

She also was inspired by “Voyage of a Summer Sun,” written by Robin Cody, and a road trip she took with her husband through to the Canadian Rockies to Lake Columbia, which itself is rather unassuming, LaMear said.

“At the top, you can actually stand on both sides of the stream that runs into the lake, with one foot on either side,” she added. “It’s amazing to think this huge river comes from this little bitty stream.”

It made her realize there are probably many people, children in particular, who might not know where the Columbia originates. With that thought in mind, she put pen to paper.

A story comes alive

LaMear wrote most of the text for “Where Does the River Start” about 10 years ago, but she didn’t get around to having the book published — that is until she met Janes and saw her “magnificent” artwork.

LaMear said the experience has been a “remarkable” collaboration. “It’s made the story come to life,” she added.

‘Where Does the River Start?’

‘Where Does the River Start?’

LaMear and Janes will be part of a 6 p.m. Tuesday panel to debut the book at the Astoria Library. The event is hosted by the American Association of University Women.

The two started working together last fall. For Janes, the process was like piecing together a puzzle, comprised of the words LaMear had written, LaMear’s thoughts on what she wanted to visually present and Janes’ own ideas and techniques.

Janes started creating a storyboard, so they could see which pages would go together and how the book would look as a whole.

As Janes finished each illustration, she added it to the storyboard, and they would review a few pages at a time.

There were a few locales along the Columbia River that LaMear was determined to incorporate, including the Astoria Bridge and Tongue Point, as well as canneries, cargo ships, Hood River in the spring, Celilo Falls before the dams were built and She-Who-Watches, a petroglyph located in Columbia Hills State Park.

Scruffy is also based on LaMear’s own Cairn terrier.

Janes and LaMear worked closely together to figure out how these places would translate into watercolor illustrations for the book, metaphorically taking a “journey up the river together,” Janes said.

The finishing touch, from Janes, a rustic-looking map that charts all the stops made by the puppies on their adventure. LaMear felt it was the perfect way to present the distance of the journey and sense of place.

“Probably I was most excited to see this because I think it brings the whole story together,” LaMear said.

“It’s going to be a cool book,” Janes added. “I’m proud to have been part of it.”