THE DROP IN MY DRINK

In this striking companion to The Pebble in My Pocket (1996), Hooper and Coady explore the water on Earth, beginning with the drop in the faucet, through its history from the origin of the universe, its presence in the oceans at the beginnings of life, in the bodies of the dinosaurs, in the trees of the rainforests, to the present drop of water, dripping from the tap. Hooper expertly makes difficult concepts part of a sweeping vision accessible to readers; the language is vivid and poetic. Coady complements the text with effective full-color paintings: a fiery comet crashes into earth, the dinosaurs lumber across swampy landscapes, and the anaconda coils around a towering tree in the rainforest. The author concludes with a brief discussion on the water cycle and amazing water facts. This is very fine science writing, spinning out one fact after another but always bringing readers back to the narrator's single drop of water. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-11)