Special Topics: Print Resources

This is a collection of Print Resources about water. A separate collection of Electronic Resources is also available.

Most titles below are outstanding and recommended by the National Science Teachers Association that fit this year’s theme for Chemists Celebrate Earth Day. Descriptions are based on reviews from the NSTA or publishers web site.

Key: E = Elementary (K–5), I = Intermediate (6–8), HS = High School (9–12), C = College, G = General Public

Acid Rain

CHEMISTRY: RIVERS CURRICULUM GUIDE. Dr. Virginia Bryan, Allen Burbank, and Dr. Jack Ballinger. White Plains, NY: Dale Seymour Publications, 1997. 238 pp. ISBN 0-201-49367-5. (I, HS)
This book brings the methods and techniques from the popular national program to the classroom. It provides an environmental context for student research in physical science and chemistry. Using the same techniques that field scientists employ, students learn to analyze the quality of local water supplies and interpret the data they collect. The book is divided into 10 lessons (with both teacher and student materials) and six appendices. The first lesson outlines laboratory procedures, data analysis, and safety. Each subsequent lesson introduces a new water quality test: pH, temperature and flow rate, turbidity, total solids, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, phosphates, nitrates, and fecal coliform. Measurements of all of these parameters are combined into a water quality index measure. Kits are available to provide most of the materials necessary for these tests. This is one book in a high-quality series of six produced by Rivers Curriculum Project of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. They are excellent for enriching high school physical science programs, and can be used successfully with middle school students with appropriate modifications.
Source: NSTA Recommends
INSIDE RAIN: WORKING WITH PRECIPITATION CHEMISTRY DATA. Jay Barracato. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press, 2000. ISBN 0-87355-482-6. (HS)
Inside Rain: Working With Precipitation Chemistry Data is a set of resources that includes the Database Basics manual and Inside Rain activities. Information from The National Atmospheric Deposition Program guide makes this collection a valuable unit that will enable even statistics novices to learn good data analysis techniques and develop a foundation for the study of more complex work. The Database Basics manual includes three units: Creating Databases, Working With Data Sets, and Making Decisions Based on Data. The booklets from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program include weekly data from the National Trends Network (NTN), daily data from nine selected sites through the Atmospheric Integrated Research Monitoring Network (AIRMoN), and the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN). All data can be obtained through the Internet site at http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu, and the booklet contains maps of concentrations and depositions for pH, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride ions.
Each activity is complete with a student section, teacher section, materials and equipment lists, answers to all questions, and permissions to reproduce for classroom use and workshop instruction. This guide is excellent. It follows all the tenets of the STS (Science, Technology and Society) approach to teaching science, and teachers will find that the topics addressed find their way into all science disciplines. The explanations are clear, and the graphics are easy to download, read, and analyze. Questions that follow each activity involve higher level thinking skills, and each activity has several extensions listed in the teacher section. These extensions could provide an avenue for more advanced work or optional work for students who complete their work early. This excellent package is highly recommended as a source of activities for investigating rain in the lab, outdoors, and online.
Source: NSTA Recommends

Recreational Reading

ANGEL FALLS: A SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNEY. Tanis Jordan. Illustrated by Martin Jordan. Kingfisher, 1995. 36pp. ISBN 1-85697-541-X. (I)
Brilliant text and stunning oil paintings capture the beauty of the Venezuelan Highlands with its immense grasslands, dense jungles, towering mountains, and the grandeur of Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world. Readers encounter native species either living in harmony or struggling to survive. Glossary. Pronunciation keys within the text.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 1996
BATHTUB SCIENCE. Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone. NY: Sterling, 2001. 80 pp. ISBN 0-8069-7185-1. (E, I)
Bathtub Science offers children, parents, and teachers a compendium of science experiments relating to water. This collection of investigations of the concepts of fluids, density, and buoyancy will encourage independent exploration for elementary and middle school students. The authors have made the topics of water clocks, pressure, surface tension, and absorption so interesting that readers are likely to stay in their baths doing science until they wrinkle up! There are illustrations on every page. A glossary, table of contents, and index are included. All materials needed (usually items readily available in the home) are listed. Each experiment has an intriguing or eye-catching introduction, step-by-step procedures, and clear explanations of the scientific basis or background for the reader’s observations. Fun facts are interspersed throughout the book.
Source: NSTA Recommends
BENEATH BLUE WATERS: MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE DEEP-SEA CREATURES. Deborah Kovacs and Kate Madin. Illustrated with photographs by Larry Madin and various sources. Viking, 1996. 64pp. ISBN 0-670-85653-. (I)
The vast expanse of ocean that is miles down from sunlight and warmth remains a virtually untouched natural region. Diving teams and professional photographers bring the world under the deep blue to life for curious young minds. Go “beneath blue waters” and discover the variety and beauty of life that dwells therein. Glossary. Epilogue.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 1997
THE BIG RIVERS: THE MISSOURI, THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE OHIO. Bruce Hiscock. Illustrated by the author. Atheneum, 1997. 32pp. ISBN 0-689-80871-2. (E, I)
This book describes how the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers produced the Midwest floods of 1993. Watercolor illustrations set the mood for the simple text in picture book format. This is an excellent book on weather phenomena for young children.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 1998
BUTTERNUT HOLLOW POND. Brian J. Heinz. Illustrated by Bob Marstall. Millbrook Press, 2000. 32pp. ISBN 0-7613-0268-9. (I)
The reader explores the interdependence of organisms in a pond with particular emphasis on food webs. Excitement reigns as an animal quickly changes its role from hunter to hunted. Through text and watercolor illustrations, the reader develops an appreciation of ecology and the environment.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 2001
CRAWDAD CREEK. Scott Russell Sanders. Illustrated by Robert Hynes. National Geographic, 1999. 32pp. ISBN 0-7922-7097-5. (E, I)
Exquisitely detailed paintings capture the beauty of the wild, natural world waiting to be discovered. The book encourages readers to go outside; find moving water; and open their eyes, ears, and hearts to the wilderness everywhere. A great book to encourage young readers to observe all the details of the world around them.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 2000
DIVE! MY ADVENTURES IN THE DEEP FRONTIER. Sylvia A. Earle. Illustrated with photographs by Wolcott Henry. National Geographic, 1999. 64pp. ISBN 0-7922-7144-0. (I)
In a fascinating, beautifully illustrated book, this world-renowned underwater explorer and researcher plunges the young reader into a luminous underwater world. The reader will “walk the seafloor” to learn about the wonders of the deep and the technology needed to explore it. With outstanding photographs and lively illustrated text, readers will discover how incredible our ocean world is and how to explore and protect it. Time Line of Ocean Exploration, Glossary, Resources, Index.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 2000
THE DROP IN MY DRINK: THE STORY OF WATER ON OUR PLANET. Meredith Hooper. Illustrated by Chris Coady. NY: Viking, 1998. 32pp. ISBN 0-670-87618-6. (I)
Here is the amazing and ever-changing story of water-where it comes from, how it behaves, why it matters-and the crucial role it has played throughout life on Earth. The eye-catching illustrations are realistic and thought-provoking.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children in 1999
A DROP OF WATER: A BOOK OF SCIENCE AND WONDER. Walter Wick. Illustrated with photographs by the author. NY: Scholastic, 1997. 40pp. ISBN 0-590-22197-3. (I)
Easy-to-read text and exquisite photographs explain the concepts of evaporation, condensation, capillary attraction, and surface tension. The camera halts and magnifies the action so all states of water can be observed. A collection of simple, exceptional experiments offers ways to further investigate the principles of water transformation.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 for 1998
THE KINGFISHER YOUNG PEOPLE’S BOOK OF OCEANS. David Lambert. Illustrated with various photographs, drawings, maps, and diagrams. Kingfisher, 1997. 96pp. ISBN 0-7534-5098-4. (E, I)
Numerous engaging illustrations support the information-packed text of this book about oceans. Readers learn about the ocean from several angles as they are presented with information about the physical, biological, and environmental influences the oceans have on our planet. Includes a list of oceanographers. Glossary. Index.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 1998
LAKES. Catherine Chambers. Crystal Lake, IL: Heinemann Library (Rigby), 2000. 32 pp. ISBN 1-57572-524-X. (E)
A volume in the Mapping Earthforms series, this book examines the geographic features that form our planet. Beginning with a general definition, it describes lake landscapes, organisms, the influence lakes have had on civilization, and the effect civilization has had on lakes. It mentions all types of lakes from the Caspian Sea to the Great Lakes. Children will be fascinated to read about the huge underground lake that lies beneath Australia. Many maps are included to further clarify the text, as are beautiful color photographs. The volume ends with a list of the ten largest lakes of the world and some interesting facts. This is a good general reference book and an excellent beginning point for research on lakes and the environmental impact they have on our world.
Source: NSTA Recommends
RIVER OF LIFE. Debbie S. Miller. Illustrated by Jon Van Zyle. Clarion Books, 2000. 32pp. ISBN 0-395-96790-2. (E)
Rich in word choice, this book develops strong images of the life cycle that unfolds along a river, as winter melts into spring and spring becomes the warm days of summer. Inviting illustrations help tell this story of a river ecosystem. Glossary.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 2001
SALAMANDER RAIN: A LAKE & POND JOURNAL. Written and illustrated by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini. Dawn Publications, 2001. 32pp. ISBN 1-58469-017-8. (E)
Bold illustrations and journal notes, maps, clips from news articles, and fun tidbits provide a brilliant model for student journals. The story joyfully describes major seasonal changes that occur in a temperate pond community.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 2002
SCIENCE MAGIC IN THE BATHROOM. Richard Robinson. NY: Simon And Schuster, 2001. 96 pp. ISBN 0-689-84333-1. (E, I)
This book is organized into eight areas: Weird Water, Dishing the Dirt, Grease, Coming Clean, Light Delight, Air We Go!, Hot and Cold, and Sounds Interesting. The common theme among these topics is that each can be performed in any bathroom. Steps to perform each act are provided in an easy-to-understand format, complete with illustrations. Troubleshooting tips are offered in case the trick does not work with alerts about possible complications. But the beauty of this little book is that the author does not allow the child to maintain the impression that these are tricks. Each “magic trick” is followed by a highly detailed, accurate, yet very kid-friendly explanation of the elements of science that made that particular experiment seem so magical.
Source: NSTA Recommends
SQUISHY, MISTY, DAMP & MUDDY: THE IN-BETWEEN WORLD OF WETLANDS. Molly Cone. Illustrated with various photographs. Sierra Club, 1996. 32pp. ISBN 0-87156-480-7. (E, I)
Stunning, well-placed photographs pull the reader into this book. The story here is diversity—of wetlands and the abundant life they support. It also speaks of their precarious future and the importance of preservation. Cone’s richly innovative text is enhanced by touches of alliteration and an almost poetic cadence.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 1997
WATER DANCE. Written and illustrated by Thomas Locker. Harcourt Brace, 1997. 32pp. ISBN 0-15-201284-2. (E)
This inspiring book about water involves readers in a question-and-answer format. Vivid oil paintings portray the natural movement of water and will enhance observational skills. Fascinating scientific facts about water follow the poetic text.
Source: NSTA Outstanding Books 1998

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