This week I am so excited to review Laura Purdie Salas’s forthcoming book, Water Can Be. Laura is a talented poet and a generous soul. Her writerly wisdom in WRITING FOR THE EDUCATIONAL MARKET helped me get where I am today. And speaking of generous, Laura will be donating part of her royalties from the book to WaterAid, an international water charity.
TITLE: Water Can Be
AUTHOR: Laura Purdie Salas
ILLUSTRATOR: Violeta Dabija
PUBLICATION INFO: Millbrook Press, April 1, 2014
ISBN: 9781467705912
SOURCE: pre-release review copy
INTENDED AUDIENCE: ages 5 to 8
GENRE: nonfiction, poetry
OPENING and SYNOPSIS:
“Water is water —
It’s puddle, pond, sea.
When springtime comes splashing,
The water flows free.”
From the publisher: “Water can be a…
Kid drencher
Cloud fluffer
Fire snuffer
THEMES/TOPICS: nature, poetry, nonfiction
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: To folks who say nonfiction can’t be fun, I say, “read this.” Like her previous book, A Leaf Can Be, Water Can Be is a lyrical read-aloud. I’d argue that children much younger than age five would enjoy both the poetry and bright illustrations. Laura includes extensive back matter, for example, additional information about how water makes clouds, houses tadpoles, and feeds otters. I love that she’s included this information at the end rather than on each page, which would disrupt the flow of her verse. She also includes a glossary and places to find additional information.
RESOURCES: Last year I reviewed George Ella Lyons’s ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD and collected quite a few water resources. I’ll revisit them here:
- 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.
You’ll find way more cool books at Susanna Leonard Hill’s “Perfect Picture Books.” Every Friday folks review a host of new books. Join us!
Kirsten W. Larson 
One of my 2014 “I Can’t Wait to Read This” books! Thanks for the sneak peek!
A Leaf Can Be has a special place on my bookshelf. I keep several nonfiction PBs around for inspiration. This one is equally as good.
Great idea to do this for PPBF with visitors here I haven’t got around to reading it. Must read today it sounds beautiful.
Catherine, I think you can preorder on Amazon. The publication date is April 1st. Since you are a fellow poet, I know you’ll love it!
I’ve got the digital version but will for sure get the real deal. Thanks!
Me again! I don’t seem to have the right program to upload the book. What did you use, Kirsten?
Catherine it took me several tries. It’s not the most seamless of programs. I had to download Adobe Digital Editions, set up an Adobe login. Then I could read the book.
Thanks!
Such a beautiful and inspirational book! I like that it is written in rhyme and that the author is donating her royalties to WaterAid. We need children to be interested in our natural resources, especially water.
I think Laura’s book and “all the water in the world” would make a great lesson on the water cycle. Thanks for stopping by!
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Just discussing the power of frozen water at coffee this morning – with friends form MI and WI, of course! The cover is lovely! And….it’s on hold!
Ooo, you have seen an early copy, I can’t wait for this to be released! So cool that Laura is donating a percentage of her royalties to WaterAid.
I can’t wait to read this book! I loved “A leaf can be”. what fun…
Beautiful language and illustrations! Perfect!
I was looking for more great examples of non-fiction in a PB, and this looks like another one. Thanks Kirsten!
Jarm, this one is definitely different than most. It’s creative nonfiction at its best.
Water is a precious commodity where I live. This looks like a lovely book that I need to add to my book bag. Thanks!
It is here too. This would be a great tie-in for a water cycle and conservation lesson.
Cool book! 😀
You guys are teasing us this week with sneak peek copies! Sounds lovely.
The only downside is I can’t post a review on Amazon…yet.
This book looks beautiful! This puts me in mind of the lyrical water manuscript that I’ve been submitting here and there…I will definitely have to check this one out. Thanks for a lovely review, Kirsten.:)
Laura’s poetry is beautiful. I’m so happy to see books like this get published.
Yes, I agree! And I’m thrilled to be featuring it on my blog in March or April…I contacted Laura and told her I’d love to review it.:)
Great!!!!!
Thank you so much, Kirsten! What a lovely write-up. I’m so happy to you like WATER! And thanks to all for the kind words!