WATER: How We Can Protect Our Freshwater

 

Candlewick Books. 2023

Some very impressive new nonfiction picture books have captured my attention in recent weeks and will be featured in this coming posts. The first, perhaps because it occurred to me that without freshwater in the lives of Earthlings like us are, nothing else would matter, is WATER: How We Can Protect Our Freshwater is written by Catherine Barr and illustrated by Christine Engel. 

With direct but accurate and easy to understand text, the amazing importance of WATER on Earth is explained with kid-friendly language, lively and globally informative illustrations, and occasional and unintyrusive image labels. Also valuable are small inserts in which "FACE THE FACTS" sidebars effectively extend and enhance the main narrative with brief bullseye facts related to that page.

The distinction between "BLUE WATER" and "GREEN WATER" was particularly significant, indicating that the first term refers to water that is essential for human survival on the surface of our planet. GREEN WATER refers to water captured within the layers of the earth that is equally essential to the survival of plants, from the tiniest of fern or foliage to the mightiest of sequoias. These two kinds of freshwater survival water sources are not the most common water on our planet. Salt water is. But even such simple statements become awe-inspiring as this vibrant and very human story reveals how magically/scientifically wondrous freshwater is. We also encounter examples of ways it is polluted, wasted, controlled, and harming people (and every other living thing) by carelessness, bad habits, and even intentional efforts in order to obtain power, money, and more.

The credentials of the author are well-established and there are many action-ideas incorporated within some spreads, especially in the final double spread. A sense of helplessness is paralyzing, but this presentation is an empowering effort and might well "launch" many young activists. This decade, the 2020s, is designated the "WATER ACTION DECADE". That means getting your hands on this important book and sharing it widely is an important first step in making smart actions part of our daily lives.