Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautiful photo-essay, March 2, 2010
This review is from: Our World of Water (Hardcover)
Zadie Smith writes in her forward to this beautiful photo-essay that many people "forget what a miracle water is. We forget that it supports everything that lives..." She asks the reader to give some careful thought to the stories of the children in this book who demonstrate how valuable water truly is for all of us. Lucas lives high in the mountains of Peru. His family gets water from a glacier, one that is rapidly disappearing due to climate change. His family has no hot water from a tap but must heat it up on a stove. Khadija Sow lives in Mauritania on the Atlantic Coast. She knows not to waste water because the supply is scarce due to lack of rain. She says," The sea is water, but we can't drink it." One picture shows her washing clothes in a small plastic container. Barfimoh lives in Tajikistan which is a very mountainous country. Her family must take their donkey and two large containers to fetch water "from a spring at the bottom of a steep hill." Dahlys Ang who lives in Los Angeles is learning in school how to conserve water even though it flows plentifully from the tap. Gamachu Boru is from Ethiopia, and his story illustrates the difficulty of living with a scarcity of water; his mother must walk "three hours twice a day to fetch water from the nearest pond." Saran is from Bangladesh where at certain times of year, there is so much rain, the rivers flood the land. His story describes the importance of water for living but unfortunately it does not mention water conservation. Facts about water, and a few facts and a glossary of terms specific to each country are provided at the end of the book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book brings together stories of children from around the world, discusses their lives and how they use water!, January 28, 2010
This review is from: Our World of Water (Hardcover)
Water is our most precious resource, but many don't think of it that way at all. If you are in a country where you can access it as easily as going over to a tap and turning it on you can consider yourself to be lucky indeed. For many it is not as readily available and some have to walk miles to get it. Some others like Lucas Riquelme of Peru know that it is a precious commodity because it isn't always available. Sometimes his family has to "collect water in buckets and bowls in the hallway" because there are "cuts in the water supply." In this book you will get to see many children and learn about their lives, their water supplies, how they use them and what water means to them. Oh, and by the way, Lucas enjoys his water with a little lemon in it!
Khadija Sow lives in Mauritania. Her family does have running water, but they keep a storage jar outside their home. They are very conservative with their use of water and she says, "We don't use lots of water. If I spoil water by making it dirty, my mother will be very cross with me. Other people need it for washing and drinking, so we try not to waste water." The family even reuses the water they rinse the rice in to give to the sheep. You will also meet and learn about other children in this book. You will meet Dahlys Ang from Arcadia California, Mohammed Golam Sadik Saran from Gaibandha, Bangladesh, Gamachu Boru from Ethiopia, Barfimoh Rajabova from Tajikistan
This book brings together stories of children from around the world and discusses how they use water. Each one of them has an understanding and awareness of the need to take care of and conserve their water supplies. The set up of the book makes the issue of water conservation very interesting because we are invited into the lives of children, who are very candid, and tells us what they think. Because we are also learning about how they live it brings these children together in a "community," although they live very far away from one another. In the back of the book is a bit more about each country, water facts and a glossary. All royalties from this book go to Oxfam. If you are looking for a book that discusses how water conservation is essential to the life of our planet, this is one book you should consider!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, September 1, 2009
This review is from: Our World of Water (Hardcover)
Water, the natural resource that sustains our lives, flows cleanly and plentifully in some countries while it comes dearly and at a high cost in others. Dahlys in the United States enjoys abundant tap water, but she still thinks carefully about ways to be less wasteful and how to keep local reservoirs clean. In Bangladesh, the village where Saran lives is surrounded by rivers that keep the land fertile, but the rainy season can bring dangerous floods.
Lucas from Peru and Barfimoh from Tajikistan both live in mountainous areas, which means their water supply come from springs and run-off from melting ice. In Africa's drier countries, water is more scarce, so Khadija from Mauritania can only use water for her most basic needs, and Gamachu from Ethiopia often walks long hours in search of water sources for his family and their cattle.
The book's profiles of these six children living across the globe demonstrates clearly the value of water, the work that goes into obtaining clean water, and the indispensable role that water plays in daily routines and even special occasions. With its striking photographs and informative text, this powerful book is sure to give each reader a strong nudge toward becoming more proactive in conserving water and keeping it clean.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
|
