One Well

This is a book about the importance of water on our planet. The crucial fact about water is that there is never any new water – just the same amount being recycled again and again. This oft-overlooked basic point is made eloquently in Strauss/Woods’ first spread and informs all that follows.

What does follow is a look at planetary water distribution, and the element’s pivotal importance to all forms of life. The authorial attitude hardens when it shifts to inequality of supply, selfishness of demand, and pollution before urging a responsible and achievable approach to water conservation.

Woods’ easy-going pictures embrace the theme admirably and turn this considerable text into a large-format picture book; a very sensible editorial decision that results in a highly accessible book, meaningful even in the pouring rain.