Reviews of City of Water
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!
“This non-fiction picture book makes clear that water conservation is essential through mind-boggling and fascinating facts about how water moves from the forests, mountains, lakes, and rivers into our homes and back out again.” — Quill & Quire
“Insightful STEM offering.”—Booklist
“Most North American children in urban areas simply turn on a faucet to get their water. But where does water really come from when you live in a city? This informational picture book opens with a brief look at ancient aqueducts and water works, as well as dire realities confronting more than two billion people around the world who still don’t have safe, fresh drinking water. It then focuses on urban water systems and how cities can protect this natural resource. Double-page spreads feature short text passages along with illustrations in soft golds, pinks, and greens that contrast with abundant teal water. Illustrations with people reflect the diversity one would find in urban areas. While the text gives examples from around the world, the focus is on how U.S. and Canadian cities clean, store, and use water. Other sections explain how some cities reuse “graywater” and wastewater, like Toronto, which turns treated solid matter into fertilizer pellets for farmers, and why water may taste or even feel different. Water conservation tips conclude this insightful STEM offering.” — Angela Leeper, Booklist
“Educational and stylish”—Kirkus
“Endpapers feature a simple treatment of the water cycle, preparing readers to engage in a deep, detailed look at the way humans interact with the world’s water. “It’s easy not to think about water if you live in a city where it flows from the faucet with a mere flick of the wrist,” the introduction notes, but it’s difficult to forget water’s importance after reading these gentle, informative pages. Brusque brush strokes join muted primary colors to depict urban life in a way that is both realistic and artful. Compositions vary, almost always depicting movement…. Fun facts (“In every city of a million people, there’s at least $13 million worth of metal in the sewage!”) join sobering observations (“About 90 percent of the watersheds that provide water for the world’s largest cities have been polluted or degraded over the last century”). A “What can we do to help?” closing section lists suggestions for would-be water protectors…. Educational and stylish.”— Kirkus
“This illustrated account of a valuable natural resource encourages readers to think about water as a finite entity and to take action to prevent our cities and watersheds from becoming more polluted.”—Publishers’ Weekly
