What Is the Water Cycle?
From the Series Science Slam!
What will happen to a snowman when the sun starts to shine and the temperature rises? Why do puddles disappear? How does water get into the sky to fall as rain? Young readers are already familiar with many stages of the water cycle---they just don't know it yet! By using engaging examples of water in everyday life, this book takes students step-by-step through the processes involved in the water cycle. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of an early elementary audience, this colorful, fact-filled volume gives readers a chance not only to learn about the water cycle, but also to develop their powers of observation and critical thinking. From fascinating facts about how long the water we drink has been around, to the description of the "life" of a snowman to demonstrate the ways in which water moves around, above, and beneath the surface of our planet, this book makes learning about the dynamic nature of water a lively, fulfilling experience. Fun activities and experiments bring the science concepts in this title to life.
| Interest Level | Grade 1 - Grade 5 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 2 |
| Category | Nonfiction |
| Subject | Social Studies |
| Copyright | 2012 |
| Publisher | Bearport Publishing |
| Imprint | Bearport Books |
| Language | English |
| Publication Date | 2012-01-01 |
| Reading Counts! Level | 5.2 |
| Reading Counts! Quiz | Q57613 |
| Reading Counts! Points | 2.0 |
| BISACS | JNF037080 |
|---|---|
| Dewey | 551.48 |
| Graphics | Full-color illustrations, Full-color photographs |
| Lexile | 610 |
| Guided Reading Level | M |
Awards
- 2014 Teachers' Choice
Reviews
What is the Water Cycle?
[Starred review]. What Is the Water Cycle? is a simple, well illustrated guide, with straightforward language and solid information about the visible and invisible stages from clouds to precipitation to surface water to evaporation and back to clouds (note that groundwater is not included in this text). A family of elephants serves as main characters in the water transformation process, while photos of ponds, puddles, snowflakes, raindrops, clouds, and waves all add appealing visual interest to the processes described. While this is only minimally a book of activities, I particularly like the illustrated featured suggestion for parents or teachers: “On a warm day, pour a cup of water onto dry pavement and quickly outline it with chalk. Check the puddle every ten minutes and draw a new outline around it.” This book, like others in its series, Weather Wise, refreshingly lack the sorts of annoyingly enthusiastic adjectives and over abundant exclamation points which so often litter children’s books. Instead, this book simply describes the water cycle (“Some of the water that the elephant sprayed has moved from a puddle to a cloud to the ocean.” p. 16), with an array of facts and perspectives (“All the water on Earth has been here since the planet first formed.” p. 20). I finished the book with whole new respect for the process, as well as great respect for Ellen Lawrence’s ability to tell a complex and fascinating story.
What is the Water Cycle?
[Starred review]. What Is the Water Cycle? is a simple, well illustrated guide, with straightforward language and solid information about the visible and invisible stages from clouds to precipitation to surface water to evaporation and back to clouds (note that groundwater is not included in this text). A family of elephants serves as main characters in the water transformation process, while photos of ponds, puddles, snowflakes, raindrops, clouds, and waves all add appealing visual interest to the processes described. While this is only minimally a book of activities, I particularly like the illustrated featured suggestion for parents or teachers: “On a warm day, pour a cup of water onto dry pavement and quickly outline it with chalk. Check the puddle every ten minutes and draw a new outline around it.” This book, like others in its series, Weather Wise, refreshingly lack the sorts of annoyingly enthusiastic adjectives and over abundant exclamation points which so often litter children’s books. Instead, this book simply describes the water cycle (“Some of the water that the elephant sprayed has moved from a puddle to a cloud to the ocean.” p. 16), with an array of facts and perspectives (“All the water on Earth has been here since the planet first formed.” p. 20). I finished the book with whole new respect for the process, as well as great respect for Ellen Lawrence’s ability to tell a complex and fascinating story.
