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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Our World of Water, written by Beatrice Hollyer. Henry Holt, H B Fenn, 2008. $18.99 ages 6 and up


"We forget what a miracle water is. We forget that it supports everything that lives - humans, animals, plants; the sea, the rivers, the mountains; the atmosphere, the air; when we study other planets in the solar system we know for certain that only those with water could ever have sustained life. Without water, we're nothing at all."

I really like the design of this book. A world map welcomes us and shows us the six stars of the show, a note from each child and their region posted on the map; Dahlys is from the US, Lucas from Peru, Khadija from Mauritania, Barfimoh from Tajikistan, Saran from Bangladesh and Gamachu from Ehtiopia. The table of contents shows that we will visit each country, learn more about water and its importance to us and to the world. There is a glossary and a short added note revealing additional information about each country visited.

Zadie Smith, in her foreword, reminds us that we are very, very lucky if we have plentiful water; but, she also trusts that we learn from what we read to be more careful with this very precious resource. The children in this book have much to teach us, and we have much to learn about something we take for granted.

We learn about 'out world of water' from the children. In six page entries we are introduced to the child, the life they live and through photos, some of their activities. The captions are easy to read, the quotes are bolded in a different font to make it known to the reader what each child has to say. We are richer for the time spent. 'What to Know About Water' is included in a two page display as the visits come to an end. Informative and helpful.

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