One Well: The Story of Water on Earth (CitizenKid, 4) - Hardcover

Strauss, Rochelle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1553379543 ISBN 13: 9781553379546

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2007

Synopsis

Seen from space, our planet looks blue. This is because almost 70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered with water. Earth is the only planet with liquid water --- and therefore the only planet that can support life.

All water is connected. Every raindrop, lake, underground river and glacier is part of a single global well.

Water has the power to change everything --- a single splash can sprout a seed, quench a thirst, provide a habitat, generate energy and sustain life. How we treat the water in the well will affect every species on the planet, now and for years to come. One Well shows how every one of us has the power to conserve and protect our global well.

One Well is part of CitizenKid: A collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.

About this title

About the Author

Rochelle Strauss is an environmental education consultant in Toronto. She has designed and developed education programs, as well as consulted on numerous environmental projects, including a biodiversity museum in Panama and a national park in Canada.

Rosemary Woods is an award winning illustrator as well as a fine artist. She has a diverse illustration portfolio with her illustrations appearing on leading advertising campaigns as well as in publishing. Some of Her books include One Well, Story of Water on Earth, The Lighthouse that Ran Away by Roger McGough and Irish Weather Wisdom - Signs of Rain. She lives in London England as wells as working from a studio in N. Ireland.

Reviews

Grade 4–6—Looking at all the water on Earth—in the atmosphere, the oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers, and rain as "One Well" into which all life dips to survive—Strauss presents a timely discussion of the use and abuse of a not-so-limitless resource. Liberally sprinkled with interesting facts—"It took about 130 L (34 U.S. gal.) of water to make your bike"—the readable text informs children of growing demands on a finite supply; increasing pollution; and the intensifying urgency for the conservation, preservation, and protection of a unique chemical combination more essential to all life than the air we breathe. Woods's delicate paintings keep perfect step and provide a gentle framework for the plentiful statistical snippets. Included is a section for children on "Becoming Well Aware," and notes for adults about helping youngsters (and themselves) to consider the quality and quantity of the water passing through their lives. Oversized, slim, and with an interesting slant.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Without water, nothing can survive." The urgent conservation message in this clear, handsome, oversize picture book is rooted in the idea of One Well, the fact that all "water on Earth is connected," and that "the water you drank today may have rained down on the Amazon rainforest five years ago." Each large, double-page spread tackles one broad topic--for example, how water is recycled, or its distribution on Earth--with boxed insets adding information about various species in various places--from coral reefs to the Bering Glacier in Alaska. Meanwhile, the detailed illustrations, in pastel and colored pencil, allow children to follow a little girl in a red T-shirt and pigtails as she crosses the globe. In marked contrast to the upbeat tone of most of the text is the warning about pollution, which lends insight into its causes, the number of people affected, and how people can conserve water in daily life. An afterword provides further information about "A crisis in the Well" and what can be done to change things. The facts are as dramatic as the threat of loss. Link this to Walter Wick's A Drop of Water (1997). Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1553379543
• ISBN 13: 9781553379546
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Woods Rosemary
• Number of pages: 32