Hey, Water by Antoinette Portis

Abstract

Reviewed by: Hey, Water by Antoinette Portis Deborah Stevenson, Editor Portis, Antoinette Hey, Water!; written and illus. by Antoinette Portis. Porter/Holiday House, 2019 [42p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-8234-4155-6 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R 3-6 yrs As a little girl encounters water in a variety of forms, the text combines a simple address to the substance (“Hey, water! I know you! You’re all around”) with big print identification of where the water is coming from or what form it’s taking in each illustration. The progression begins with water from a faucet and a sprinkler, then moves down a stream to a river and the ocean; there’s also a look at water in steam and cloud form and its solid form in an ice cube. Page design is simple and airy, with variations in viewpoint to keep the visuals fresh; the restrained palette draws strongly on shades of slatey blue, but there are pops of warm brown in the little girl’s skin and red in the winter outfits to add zing. While it’s a little confusing to mix forms of water with places where water is found, this is a lively celebration with enough factuality to be thought-provoking for youngsters just learning about earth science and conservation. A closing page summarizes the three different forms of water, and a diagram illustrates the water cycle; additional end matter advocates for the conservation of water and provides a bibliography for additional research. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois