Dancing with Water

Gr 2-4–Kit, a small nonbinary Black child, ­accompanies their grandfather as he digs wells around town to bring clean water to their community. Their grandfather passes down the ancestral knowledge of water divining and shows Kit how to “listen to the water,” even as environmental issues make it harder to provide equitable access. Powerful messages, conveyed clearly in the story, could find curricular connections in science or civics discussions. The book can be paired with Carole Lindstrom’s We Are Water Protectors. An encompassing story of intergenerational relationships concludes with an author’s note about the disproportionate impact of water access for communities of color. The acrylic and oil paintings are rich with color and texture. Readers young and old will delight in the vivid imagery and emotions Engel creates.