  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 11/01/2016 Gr 1–3—A celebration of the grandeur and power of the sun, a source of energy that provides humans with warmth and light. Told from the point of view of the sun ("I lift water from the salty sea by warming the ocean's surface waters."), this selection explores how water recycles itself. In the process of following the water cycle, kids also learn about evaporation, aquifers, the Gulf Stream, and the ocean conveyor belt. The language is descriptive and dazzling; for instance, water molecules "jiggle, jiggle, jiggle until they pop into the air, leaving their salt behind. Evaporation!" The illustrations, rendered in the familiar blue, yellow, and green of other titles in this series, beautifully illuminate the processes covered, while also rewarding careful scrutiny. This work could easily be used as a mentor text to study how words and visuals work together. It ends with a gentle plea for readers to care for the earth's waters. VERDICT An outstanding choice for introducing young children to the water cycle. This is a book to return to many times.—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 11/15/2016 *Starred Review* Throughout the Sunlight series of science picture books, beginning with My Light (2004), Bang and Chisholm show a healthy respect for kids’ interest in the world around them and the depth of information they’re capable of absorbing. Their latest volume explains how the sun’s energy moves water around planet Earth: through the atmosphere as water vapor; on land as rain and melting snow that flow into rivers, lakes, and aquifers; and beneath the sea, where differences in heat and salinity create the continuous ocean conveyor belt, delivering nutrients to sea creatures and regulating Earth’s temperature. The amount of water on Earth remains the same, but with seven billion people now using it, the balance is shifting and the planet is warming. When adults read this book to children, it’s fair to say that both will learn something new. The sun narrates the book as an amiable, knowledgeable observer, placing facts in perspective and asking kids to do their part. Bang, who literally wrote the book on art composition in Picture This (1991), offers large illustrations that support the text beautifully by representing scientific principles in meaningful ways within richly colored, decorative, and childlike scenes. An enlightening book on a vital topic. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. Loading...
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