Suggested Reading List - Watershed Literature and Resource Books for the Classroom

Books are wonderful tools. They can introduce a new topic, open up a discussion, illustrate a concept, or provide additional information. This list of water-related books and teacher resources has been compiled through bookstore research and from the suggestions of many great educators. The descriptions were written with care, but cannot substitute for your careful pre-reading. May they serve as a starting point for your own literary investigations. Happy reading to you and your class!

Aquatic Organisms

• In Ponds and Streams 1955 by Margaret Waring Buck ISBN 0-687-18904-7
  Descriptions of aquatic animals.
• Joyful Noise 1988 by Paul Fleischman (Grades 2-8) ISBN 0-06-021852-5
  Wonderful vivid poetry intended to be read by two people about insects, includes several poems about common macroinvertebrates used as water quality indicators.
• Pond and River; Eyewitness Books 1988 by Steven Parker and Phillip Dowell ISBN 0-394-89615-7
  A photo essay about the range of freshwater plants and animals.
• Pond Water Zoo 1996 by Peter Loewer (Grades 4-8) ISBN 0-689-31736-0
  Describes microscopic organisms, how they function and their role in nature.
• Insectlopedia 1998 by Douglas Florian (Grades 1-8) ISBN 0-15-201306-7
  Poems about insects with accompanying imaginative paintings.

Groundwater

• Spring Waters, Gathering Places 2000 by Sandra C. DeYounge (Grades 3-8) ISBN1-888631-05-8
  Beautifully illustrated collection of stories through time describing the uses of spring waters.

Lakes

• At the Edges of the Pond 1987 by Jennifer Owings Dewey ISBN 0-316-18208-7
  Explores the levels of life in a pond.
• Loon Lake 1991 by Ron Hirschi (Grades K-3) ISBN 0-525-65046-6
  Beautiful photographs of loons and other animals that live in lakes.
• Lake and Pond 1996 by April Pulley Sayre (Grades 4-8) ISBN0-8050-4089-7
  A good resource on lake biomes and how they are affected by the environment and people.
• Lily Pad Pond 1989 by Bianca Lavies ISBN 0-525-44483-1
  A photo essay on pond life.
• Pond Life by George Reid (Grades 2-8) ISBN 0-307-2401-7
  A field guide for those exploratory/engaging pond field trips. Good information about different critters, written to be useful at all age levels. As much detail as anyone in K-12 is likely to need. Also can be helpful in streams.
  Habitats River and Lakes 1995 by David Cumming (Grades 4-8) ISBN 1-56847-389-3
  Describes the geographical features, the plants and animals as well as human impact including algal blooms in lakes.

Rivers

• River Story by Meredith Hooper (Grades K-4) ISBN 0-7636-0792-4
  Story of the stages of a river, from headwaters to ocean, with illustrations and a nice, full scope diagram at the end. Very beautiful.
• Riverkeeper 1990 by George Ancona (Grades 3-6) ISBN 0-02-700911-4
  The story of a man who travels along the Hudson River, protecting it from the many sources of pollution.
• The Big Rivers 1997 by Bruce Hiscock (Grades 3-6) ISBN 0-689-80871-2
  Illustrated picture book describing the conditions that lead up to the extreme flooding of the Mississippi in 1993.
• Make it Work! Rivers 1996 by Geraldene Wharton (Grades 4-8) ISBN 0-7166-1751-X
  Models, experiments and projects relating to rivers with background information.

Stewardship

• Henry David Thoreau A Neighbor to Nature 1992 by Catherine Reef (Grades 4-8) ISBN 0-941477-39-8. The story of Thoreau's life and how he came to value the natural world.
  Rivers

Story Books

*This story deals with advanced biological concepts, some of which may be too detailed for classroom discussion, but it is a good intro to bioaccumulation and the problems of pesticides.

• The Wump World 1974 by Bill Peet (Grades K-3/4) ISBN 0-395-19841-0
  The Wumps live on their clean, healthy, happy planet. The arrival of the Pollutians, who are fleeing from their old, polluted planet, changes their lives forever. A great story about the consequences of not caring for the environment.
• Around the Pond: Who's Been Here? 1996 by Lindsay Barrett George (Grades K-3/4) ISBN 0-688-14377-6
  A brother and sister set off in search of blueberries around the pond, but find many interesting signs of animals, too! Beautiful illustrations complement the text. The book ends with short, informational paragraphs about each of the animals featured. Good introduction to ponds.
• Crawdad Creek 1999 by Scott Russell Sanders (Grades K-4) ISBN 0-7922-7097-5
  A brother and sister visit the creek near their house, thrilled to explore and enjoy the beauty and wildness of it. Nice story of brother and sister relationship, wonders of nature. Beautiful illustrations of common critters.
• A Drop Around the World 1998 by Barbara Shaw McKinney (Grades 3-6), ISBN 1-883220-72-6
  Written in poetry form, this book follows a drop of water as it flows from Maine around the world, changing form as it travels through the water cycle to human, plant and animal. Teacher's Guide with lesson plans available 1998, by Bruce & Carol Malnor ISBN 1-883220-77-7.
• The Raft 2000 by Jim LaMarche (Grades 3-6) ISBN 0-688-13977-9
  Nicky isn't sure about spending the summer by the river with his artist grandmother, but after he finds a mysterious raft, he begins to have awesome experiences. Animals abound along the river, and Nicky learns to appreciate nature and art. Great opener for interdisciplinary activities!
• The Lorax 1987 by Dr. Seuss (Grades 3-6) ISBN 0-394-92337-5
  Colorful, fun-to-read story of what happens to a place when its natural resources are used carelessly. Particular focus on removal of trees, production of wastes, and how these affect the rest of the "forested" ecosystem. A favorite with students; fun to act out, too.
• A River Ran Wild 1992 by Lynne Cherry (Grades 2-6) ISBN0-15-200542-0
  The environmental history (back to Native American uses) of the Nashua River of NH/MA. Great details and illustrations! Nice, true story of centuries of pollution and of the citizen action that finally made the difference to get the river cleaned up and ultimately congress enacted the Clean Water Act.

Water

• A Drop of Water 1997 by Walter Wick (Grades 3-8) ISBN 0-590-22197-3
  This is a truly exquisite book with color photographs and explanations of different water phenomena. Good for inspiring wonder and engagement in your students. Also contains great, simple experiments for exploration.

• Water for the World 1982 by Franklyn Branley (Grades 4-8) ISBN 0-690-04172-1
  Informative with many black and white diagrams on many water topics.
• Water Up, Water Down 1992 by Sally Walker (Grades 4-8) ISBN 0-87614-695-7
  The many parts of the water cycle and human impact with many color photographs.
• Water Projects 1997 by John Williams (Grades 3-6) ISBN 0-7502-2100-3
  Great illustrated directions for making water related machines and boats.
• Water, Water Everywhere 1994 by Rauzon and Overbeck Bix ISBN 0-87156-598-6
  Describes the forms water takes, how its quality can be threatened and its importance. More lyrical than technical, nice pictures, coherent message.
• Stone Wall Secrets 1998 by Kristine and Robert Thorson, ISBN 0-88448-195-6
  Primarily a geological focus, but it is good for illustrating water's action as a force in shaping Earth's history in the forms of deposition of sediments that become rock and as an agent of erosion as rivers or glaciers.

Watershed

• Paddle-to-the-Sea 1941 by Holling Clancy Holling (Grades 2-6) ISBN 0395150825
  A classic story of a toy canoe's trip from the mountains of Canada through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. An excellent geographic and historical picture of the region.
• The Water's Journey 1989 by Eleonore Schmid (Grades K-3) ISBN 1-55858-013-1
  Beautifully illustrated book describing the fate of a raindrop that forms over the mountains and eventually reaches the sea.

Water Treatment

• The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks 1986 By Joanna Cole (Grades 3-6)ISBN 0-590-40360-5
  The children in the class become a water drop and travel through the water cycle and then through the wastewater treatment plant.
• Unplugged: The bare facts on toilets through the ages 1997 by Anna Ciddor, ISBN 1864484543.
  Information about toilets and sanitation throughout history.

Teacher Resources

• Beachcombing the Atlantic Coast 1997 by Peggy Kochanoff ISBN 0-878-42345-1
  Some brief introductory information, good drawings and descriptions of many common marine organisms and plants. Basically a field guide – good for any trips to the shore.
• The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson ISBN 0-06-757520-X
  A fantastic book filled with the wisdom of one of the greatest visionaries of her time. Carson explains what we know pedagogically – that young people need to experience the wonder and beauty of the natural world in order to be ready to learn about it and care for it. Superb pictures accompany the short text, putting that first gasp of wonder within everyone's easy reach.