In this exploration of the water cycle, Jason Chin uses watercolor and gouache to paint lovely scenes of a family's pond-side, rural homestead. Each season is shown in vibrant colors and thoughtful details, and water is shown in a different form on each page. I particularly liked the choice to present the house and its surrounding field and pond from varying angles.

Miranda Paul's text pulls the reader on to the next page with an unless..., and then reveals the newest transformations. Rhyming words like swirl / curl, misty / twisty, and pack / smack lend a poetic air to the story. Picture books about scientific concepts can sometimes veer into the didactic, but Water Is Water feels like an engaging story about children who love being out in nature.

The two main children in the story are busy in their pursuit of turtles, snakes, and frogs, while their black cat watches their antics from the sidelines. The movement and the motion of the children on each page is a good analogy for the changing water cycle. I also liked the depiction of the children in various forms of play. At home and at school, they are running, chasing, skating, throwing snowballs, and pressing cider.

Of interest to the Sibert committee, if not the Caldecott committee, will be the back matter that includes a deeper exploration of the water cycle, suggestions for further reading, and a select bibliography. It seems as if nonfiction sometimes gets short shrift with award committees. It is difficult to compare the literary qualities of fiction with nonfiction. Is Water Is Water strong enough to overcome a possible bias toward fiction?