Drop

January 15, 2021
An anthropomorphic drop of water takes readers through this basic explanation of Earth's water cycle. The initial pages predict the perfectly chosen medium of watercolor art throughout. The verso is fully packed with attractive, wavy lines of blue that contain random blotches of the same hue. The white recto shows the same small, round splash of blue shown on the cover, with dots for eyes, a simple smile, and spindly limbs. The main text reads, "This is water." Black ink lettering nearer to the water droplet allow the droplet a comment: "Hi! I'm Drop!" The next set of pages uses the figure 4,500,000,000 as well as the spelled-out words for the number to show the probable age, in years, of water on the planet. Benign cartoon dinosaurs in upbeat colors add emphasis. Careful design throughout shows all forms of water storage--and release--on Earth. When Drop is warmed by the sun, "she gets all warm and wiggly." She is invisible for a while, after which some friends join her so they can create clouds and, finally, precipitation--a word never mentioned. Nor are evaporation or condensation. This implies a fairly young audience, as does the cuteness of Drop and her friends. However, the text is a tad too garrulous and pedantic for the youngest readers. In addition, the narrated text--and especially Drop herself--often uses humorous, sophisticated wordplay that further muddies the readership waters. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 20.8% of actual size.) A striking but somewhat slushy concoction. (Informational picture book. 5-7)

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