#SOL17 - 20/31 - It's Monday!

      I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community for Day Twenty of Thirty-One.
           

          Visit Jen at Teach MentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who link up.  tweet #IMWAYR

Happy Spring!  My poem, Ode To Wind 
is visiting Today's Little Ditty today.

         I know many of you have heard me say how much we need rain or snow. Recently, I even posted a picture of a couple of puddles because I was so excited. While it was wonderful, that little rainstorm lasted about 20 minutes! Despite recent snow, and significant snow in the mountains, Colorado's plains and foothills have emerged in drought-like conditions. There are fires in various places happening right now.
        Somehow I seemed to have read three stories about rain this past week. And if you consider also the sci-fi talk about potable water on Mars, I can also count The Last Day on Mars as a futuristic water challenge.
       Here are the current facts from Water.org, including one in ten people on earth, 685 million people who lack access to safe water.

Figuring out how to make water.

         It takes some time to set up this futuristic universe, and the story of a population's last day on Mars, because the sun will soon implode is fast paced and tense. There is an alternate group that's shown in the prologue, with ominous foretelling, and away Kevin Emerson goes with Book One of the escape. Emerson is clever in the beginning, showing the main character Liam a little nostagic to leave the only home he's ever known. He and two friends actually skip school to have one adventure that helps set the pace. It didn't turn out to be the fun expected. Just when one thinks it's over and they can take off with the millions leaving, something else happens and then something else. I imagine middle school readers who love sci-fi will love this too. The biggest problem is the wait for Book number two.

The plight of those who are desperate
for water.

        This story, one of my #MustReadin2017 choices, rather screams to be read quickly. It is difficult to imagine that children can witness their parents' death by people who are desperate for water, and in anger, shoot to kill and set fire to the small home. This heart-wrenching story is told from three points of view, the girl Sarel, whose parents died, a boy Musa who is enslaved because he has the gift of dowsing, and Nandi, the lead dog of a pack of Rhodesian Ridgebacks that belong to Sarel's father. The descriptions of the drought and the terrible thirst are vivid, and the persistence of these children to fight to survive shows us how little we really know about people in other parts of the world who are managing to live in unbelievable situations. It is a book with spare text that won't let you quit until the end. It is not as fully developed, but when reading I was reminded of my feelings when I first read Night by Elie Wiesel.

Those who have a good time with water.

        This boy's grandfather is something of a tease, and while his grandson keeps asking to go out, Granddad keeps saying, "wait." You'll see why in the surprise at the end. The illustrations fill the pages in rain-soaked ways, and finally cleverly done puddles of reflection. Thanks to Templar books and Candlewick Press for the ARC.

The conflcts of water, too much or too little.

      Out of Canada, the author of In A Cloud of Dust brings a new story of the rain that brings goodness to the crops of most of the people who live in Sri Lanka, but can also bring danger. An ox-cart filled with rice seedlings comes into town and young Malini is excited to hear the clop-clop coming because it will soon be planting day. She's asked by the driver to hold the ox while he takes a break. While he's gone, the wind and rain of the monsoon comes "whoosh whoosh whoosh" and goes "Boom boom booming". Malini would love to run away but stays holding on. The ox is huge and stamps its feet, and Malini hangs on. I won't give away the ending, but an author letter at the back explains how children in Sri Lanka help with the crops. While education is important to the families, having crops to harvest and sell, and then to eat means survival. The ilustrations as you can see from the cover are stylistic and highly emotional, from rain to sun, from escape to welcome. I liked them a lot.

          I imagine most know these next books, but thought it would be good to share them too:

       A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park, Water Can Be - Laura Purdie Salas, Water Is Water: A Book About The Water Cycle - Miranda Paul,