Review by Booklist Review
Ages 4-8. Stunning photographs shine through this international tour of water gathering around the world. The spare text, only a few words per page, introduces the images--a boy fills a jug from a drainpipe; women in burqa balance brass pots on their heads. A concluding section expands briefly on each image's location and story, and a final essay by John Fahey, National Geographic Society president and CEO, throws out dramatic statistics about water conservation. Despite this warning, however, the book's gorgeous photos and minimal text misleadingly portray the earth's water supply as clean, fresh, and drinkable; nothing indicates, for example, that the boy bending into the river next to the shimmering reflection of the Taj Mahal is probably filling his pot with deeply polluted water. Nonetheless, children will be entranced by the beautiful images of a basic substance that connects us all. Excellent for cross-cultural discussions. Gillian Engberg.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Gorgeous full-page illustrations and minimal text give global perspective to the idea that water is basic to all human life. Photos depict people collecting, transporting, and drinking the liquid while the poetic text reminds readers that "Everyone/Everywhere" enjoys "A nice, cool drink of water." The print itself creates visual interest with verbs in italics and nouns in bold. A spread at the back of the book includes thumbnail copies of the illustrations with captions and a map identifying the locations of the shots. There is also a statement on water conservation from the president and CEO of the National Geographic Society. Enjoyable to browse and a stunning introduction to a unit on water.-Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Dramatic, lush, beautifully composed color photos from the National Geographic Society focus on water use around the world. The brief text about where different cultures go for a cool drink of water is jazzed up in different sizes and typefaces but remains fragmentary and ungrammatical. End matter expands on the locations pictured and discusses the shortage of freshwater resources worldwide. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
