When the World Runs Dry
Earth's Water in Crisis
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A riveting account of the worldwide water crisis--and what kids can do about it--from an award-winning science writer.
What would you do if you turned on the faucet one day and nothing happened? What if you learned the water in your home was harmful to drink? Water is essential for life on this planet, but not every community has the safe, clean water it needs. In When the World Runs Dry, award-winning science writer Nancy Castaldo takes readers from Flint, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey, to Iran and Cape Town, South Africa, to explore the various ways in which water around the world is in danger, why we must act now, and why you’re never too young to make a difference.
Topics include: Lead and water infrastructure problems, pollution, fracking contamination, harmful algal blooms, water supply issues, rising sea levels, and potential solutions.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this comprehensive nonfiction volume by Castaldo, an introduction and 11 chapters inform widely about water-related issues, including infrastructure and supply complications; industrial, agricultural, fracking, and pharmaceuticals and accidental pollution; and sea level rise, with final chapters offering potential solutions and opportunities to make a difference. The author successfully contextualizes the water crisis as something that affects everyone, with tacit acknowledgement of Indigenous peoples and their communities, as well as those in Flint, Mich., and citizens in Chennai, India; Cape Town, South Africa; and Kenya who suffer from water toxicity or scarcity. The narrative balances wide-ranging information with accessible prose: "What went wrong in Flint? Like so many cities, Flint had an aging water infrastructure.... Residents were not notified until after the lead was in their bodies." Black-and-white photos, plentiful subheads, quotations, and inset boxes add context and visual interest to this invaluable tome that underscores an imperative crisis. Back matter includes resources, a glossary, source notes, and an index. Ages 10–up.
