188: Follow the Water: Story, Survival & Science in the Outdoor Classroom with Ellen Cochrane

Episode 188: Follow the Water: Story, Survival & Science in the Outdoor Classroom with Ellen Cochrane

What happens when a true survival story becomes a doorway into science, resilience, and deep connection to the natural world?

In this episode, I’m joined by Ellen Cochrane, author of Follow the Water—the gripping true story of Juliane Koepcke, a 17-year-old who survived alone in the Amazon rainforest by following the river.

Ellen writes immersive nonfiction that trusts young readers—their intelligence and their emotions. Together, we explore how powerful storytelling can live inside outdoor classrooms, how science becomes real through narrative, and how stories of survival invite children to see weather, rivers, and forests as teachers.

This conversation weaves literacy, nature, and courage into one beautiful thread.

🌱 A portion of proceeds supports the Panguana Foundation.

Meet Ellen:

Ellen Cochrane writes immersive nonfiction for young readers that trusts their intelligence and their emotions. Her debut, “Follow the Water,” tells the true story of 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke’s survival in the Amazon. It’s an adventure that reads like a thriller and teaches how science lives in the world: weather, rivers, canopy, and the choices that keep us alive.

A longtime middle school teacher of English, English learners, Spanish, and Russian, Ellen brings classroom clarity and compassion to complex topics. She studied science writing at Johns Hopkins, is a certified California Naturalist, and previously wrote a syndicated column exploring the natural world. As a teen exchange student she lived in Lima, Peru, and traveled the same route into the jungle that frames Juliane’s story.

Contact Ellen:

1. www.ellencochrane.com | Facebook: @CochraneEllen | Instagram: @EllenMCochrane | TikTok: @AuthorTalk

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