Water Day

July 1, 2023
Amid water scarcity, a small Cuban town adapts and survives thanks to the water man. Water day is finally here! Before the water man arrives, the family must prepare. Mami needs to "mend our leaky hose while Papi fixes the rusty pump" to ensure that the blue tank on the roof can hold all the water that the "whole thirsty familia" needs. It's been five days since la familia last got water to bathe, cook, drink, and flush the toilet. But here comes the water man, bringing in water via wagon and horse. Bisabuelita sings to the fruit trees; she remembers the days when the plentiful rains would fill wells and big clay jars. "What changed? Everything. Weather. Rivers. Groundwater. Lakes." Now, it's water day that brings those hopeful stirrings "like a river of joy" to the neighborhood. When everyone gets the water that's needed, the water man departs, expected back in another five days. In this understated, plainspoken, yet compelling tale narrated by the family's child, Engle chronicles an unfortunate reality for many communities. The subsequent author's note briefly reiterates the complex, often interwoven reasons behind water shortages across the world and includes a limited call to action that's easy to miss. Sua's rustic, lively, cheerful artwork depicts a vibrant Cuban community with people diverse in skin tones. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An insightful consideration of the global water crisis. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2023
"Water days are busy days, grateful, laughing, thirsty days." A young girl tells of her Cuban neighborhood's experience of the "water man's" once-every-five-days visit to deliver water for all the residents' needs. Engle's narrator shares all parts of the process breezily, from the lyrical way Bisabuelita talks to her fruit trees, telling them "she'll soon get their toes wet," to less pleasant realities like having to wait "to flush the stinky toilet. Ick." The "fish lady" bikes into town next and lets the girl add mosquito larvae�? eating fish to the family's water supply, helping to prevent the spread of disease. Sua's painted cut-paper illustrations in a rich pastel color palette are as inviting as the girl's cheerful voice, which grows somber when recounting Bisabuelita's memories about how the neighborhood's water has dried up since she was young. The book culminates with an image of the family using their replenished water and a line that sums up how this tightly knit group views water day: "a river of joy that flows for my whole thirsty familia." Back matter includes an author's note about Engle's inspiration for the story, as well as information on the global water crisis and mosquitofish. Monica de los Reyes

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 2, 2023

Gr 1-4-A seemingly simple story that speaks to the importance of water conservation. Water day is a joyous occasion in a little girl's Cuban neighborhood. The good news is spread by word of mouth; everyone is excited to have fresh water to slake the thirst of people, animals, and trees. The narrator's great-grandmother remembers a time when it rained all of the time, filling water jugs to the brim. But due to environmental and human-made changes, the community only has access to fresh water every five days. They have to boil the water they collect for cooking, bathing, and getting rid of bodily waste until the next delivery. When Water Day coincides with Fish Day, it's truly a celebratory event, because mosquitofish are used to further sanitize the water from bacteria. Engle presents this weekly ritual in spare, free verse, giving readers a look into an essential community occurrence that brings home the dire need for water conservation. She works in the delight this neighborhood experiences with an understated but resonant message that is never preachy or pitying. Sua's illustrations made on painted paper depict the liveliness with brilliant greens and majestic blues. The tropical setting is evident in the architecture and fruit trees. Sprinkles of Spanish add to the sense of place. An author's note delves deeper into the global water crisis and how mosquitofish are used as a natural biological control to fight against mosquito-borne illnesses. The narrator's family has brown skin. VERDICT Engle packs so much into just a few powerful sentences. An excellent choice.-Shelley M. Diaz

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 9, 2023
A young Cuban narrator anticipating a family water delivery offers a necessary reminder that water is a resource not freely available to all. “Five days have passed since the water man’s last visit,” and the family is eager to bathe, wash clothes, cook rice, boil water “so that it’s clean enough to drink without getting sick,” and even water some trees. A rooftop tank is filled to the top, and the fish lady soon delivers “silvery little peces to pour in the tank” to consume mosquito larvae and prevent disease spread. In great-grandma’s day, “the rains came every afternoon all summer, filling the well and... big clay jars,” but today, after weather and groundwater changes, “without the water man... we would be so thirsty.” This theme carries through to debut creator Sua’s painted cut-paper illustrations, which use hues of brown and blue. Focusing on the realities of limited water resources alongside an occurrence that makes “our whole neighborhood... noisy and lively,” the creators create a portrait of a day that “feels like a river of joy” flowing “for my whole thirsty familia.” Back matter includes an author’s note and more about the global water crisis. Ages 4–8.

July 1, 2023
"Water days are busy days, grateful, laughing, thirsty days." A young girl tells of her Cuban neighborhood's experience of the "water man's" once-every-five-days visit to deliver water for all the residents' needs. Engle's narrator shares all parts of the process breezily, from the lyrical way Bisabuelita talks to her fruit trees, telling them "she'll soon get their toes wet," to less pleasant realities like having to wait "to flush the stinky toilet. Ick." The "fish lady" bikes into town next and lets the girl add mosquito larvae�? eating fish to the family's water supply, helping to prevent the spread of disease. Sua's painted cut-paper illustrations in a rich pastel color palette are as inviting as the girl's cheerful voice, which grows somber when recounting Bisabuelita's memories about how the neighborhood's water has dried up since she was young. The book culminates with an image of the family using their replenished water and a line that sums up how this tightly knit group views water day: "a river of joy that flows for my whole thirsty familia." Back matter includes an author's note about Engle's inspiration for the story, as well as information on the global water crisis and mosquitofish.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)