Water Is Water: A Book About the Water Cycle

Two siblings from a mixed-race family engage in water-related activities throughout the year in a poetic exploration of the forms that water takes. First seen exploring a pond behind their idyllic home, the boy and girl are driven indoors by a rainstorm and warm up with steaming mugs of cocoa on their front porch: "Drip. Sip./ Pour me a cup./ Water is water unless.../ it heats up./ Whirl. Swirl./ Watch it curl by./ Steam is steam unless.../ it cools high." From there, Paul (One Plastic Bag) moves through the seasons as clouds become fog, which transitions to rain that gathers in puddles. In winter, the children and their friends skate on the frozen pond, and spring's return brings the story full circle. As usual, Chin (Gravity) blends naturalistic detail with a glint of whimsy (in one spread, patchy clouds form the shape of a dragon in a wagon), evoking the seasons through shifts of light and changing foliage. A closing section shares additional information about the water cycle, rounding out a story as enchanting as it is informative. Ages 6%E2%80%9310. Author's agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. (May)