Water Can Be...

Salas and Dabija follow 2012’s A Leaf Can Be... with an equally contemplative and thought-provoking ode to the forms water takes and the functions it serves, both practical and whimsical. Once again, the author’s staccato rhymes leapfrog unexpectedly from one idea to the next, almost like a free-association game: “Water can be a... Tadpole hatcher/ Picture catcher/ Otter feeder/ Downhill speeder.” Working mostly in a palette of deep, wet greens and blues, Dabija nimbly varies the moods of each scene to match the text, from the glee of two children playing in a sprinkler (“Kid drencher”) to the drama of an embattled boat being tossed about by enormous waves (“Ship breaker”). Ages 5–8. (Apr.)