TITLE: ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD
AUTHOR: George Ella Lyon
ILLUSTRATOR: Katherine Tillotson
PUBLICATION INFO: Atheneum/Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2011
ISBN: 978-1416971306
SOURCE: Library
INTENDED AUDIENCE: grades pre-K through 2nd
GENRE: nonfiction picture book
OPENING and SYNOPSIS:
“All the water in the world … is all the water in the world.”
From the publisher’s Website:
“Faucet
well
raincloud
sea …
from each of these
comes water.
But where does
Water go?
To find out, honey,
turn the page,
dive in
with tongue
or toes,
with eyes and ears and nose—
and wonder
at the flow
of this great world’s
life story.”
THEMES/TOPICS: science, water cycle
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: This is my favorite kind of nonfiction picture book. Lyon’s voice is so strong and lyrical that children will be swept up in the poetry. They may not even realize that they are learning something until the end.
RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:
- George Ella Lyon provides a teacher’s guide on her site.
- The EPA has this lesson plan on the water cycle for grades K-3 and 4-6.
- The US Geological Survey has a cartoon infographic about the water cycle, here. They also have a graphic available as a placemat. Now you can think about the water cycle when you have a glass of water with dinner.
- For grades 3-5, check out Scholastic’s Study Jams lesson plan on the water cycle.
Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.
Kirsten W. Larson 
This sounds wonderful. I love George Ella Lyon.
With your poetry expertise, I am sure the two of you are kindred spirits.
Ooh I’m not in her league though, Kate Coombs has a similar style to George Ella Lyon. I’m trying to remember the names of my favorite books, there’s an old man in the sky in one and a weaver weaving a rainbow in another.
Oh, I’ll have to check out Kate Coombs.
And Rebecca Kai Dotlich
A beautiful way to learn. This would be a great Earth Week book.
Oh, agreed, Wendy. I just couldn’t save it.
When I saw the title, I knew this was your selection. I love the verse as it really draws the child quickly in to the story and teaches them so mch about a life-giving resource. Great resource perhaps to teach about those who don’t have access to clean water. Beautiful choice! Interesting Scholastic resources.
I guess I’m pretty predictable, Pat. 🙂
But, I always appreciate your choices.
This book looks FANTASTIC! (I always love your choices.) I’m particularly drawn to the cover art. Finding ways to teach kids without them feeling they are being taught is paramount, I think, and this book sounds like it does an excellent job. Thanks, Kirsten!
This book is fundamentally, a beautiful poem. Learning about the water cycle and conservation is a bonus.
I find it funny that the narration speaks to the reader, addressing with ‘honey’! I must check it out!
Yes, there are a couple of “honeys” sprinkled throughout. It’s a very interesting technique.
This looks like a great book! One of my favorite topics – water! And that excerpt sounds pretty cool. I like that “honey” part too! I’ll be checking this one out!
She definitely has a unique voice.
This sounds wonderful Kirsten! I love books that teach on the sly 🙂 Learning while you’re enjoying – the best way! Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE the opening! I like books that teach you something without you knowing it! 😀