Book Review on Water is Water written by Miranda Paul illustrated by Jason Chin

This lyric nonfiction book describes the water cycle. By making each state concrete and experiential the

water cycle is made familiar. The authors connect what children have experienced already to what the children

in the book are experiencing.

The pattern of the poem is constant. Each verse is a state or process of the water cycle. It starts with two

(sometimes more) descriptive words that rhyme. The next line is generally four syllables. Next, it states the

state of the water cycle and repeats it. Then the word, unless is used to shift to the next idea. The final line

draws the reader to the next water state.

For example:

Misty. Twisty. Where is the town?

Fog is fog unless……

It falls down.

Patter, Splatter.

What is that sound?

Rain is Rain unless….

On the ground. (turns to puddles)

The brilliance is the concrete experience that precedes the word introduction. 

This book is written for 3-5-year-olds. For this age, the author effectively demonstrates that water can be the

same thing, but can change the way it looks. This is a difficult concept as children this age have not really

developed the ability to understand states of matter, but are trying to understand it more.

And how about this for adorable?