Through many types of weather and the different seasons, water tells readers about its many forms. "Sometimes I'm the rain cloud / and sometimes I'm the rain." Water can make rainbows and can appear to be different colors. Water is a waterfall, a wave, an ocean swell, a frozen pond, the snow on your nose, a cloud, frost, a comet, a part of you. Throughout, Paterson's rhyming verses evoke images of their own: "Soon the summer sun is back / and warms me with its rays. / I rise in rumbling thunderheads / like castles in the haze," though at times word order seems to have been chosen for rhyme rather than meaning ("In fall I sink into a fog / and blanket chilly fields, / with pumpkins touched by morning frost / the harvest season yields"). Backmatter includes a diagram of the water cycle that introduces and describes each step with solid vocabulary, including "Collection" as a step in the process; "The Science Behind the Poetry," which unpacks some of the poetic language and phrases; some water activities and explorations; conservation tips; and a list of other books from the publisher about water. Paterson's full- and double-page-spread illustrations are just as magical as his verse, showing water in its many forms from afar and close up. Few people appear on his pages, but the vast majority of those are people of color. A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

The water cycle is often a source of fascination for young readers. Here, Paterson crafts a poetic, visually affecting ode to the work of water, narrated by water itself. An African-American child gazes out her rain-glazed window: -Sometimes I-m the rain cloud and sometimes I-m the rain,- the poem begins. A spread shows white-water rafters careening down a waterfall. The water then becomes a wave at the beach: -Once I was a waterfall/ but now I-m just a wave./ At high tide I-m the breaking swell/ that daring surfers brave.- Paterson switches up the format with a long, vertical view of canyons and a comet passing overhead: -You-ll find me/ in the comet high/ circling the stars./ I-m also carving canyons deep/ on Earth and cousin Mars.- Paterson-s luminous, saturated paintings provide both a sense of openness and textural detail, while the poem demonstrates how water exists in and connects all things, even people. Back matter-including an infographic on the water cycle-and science-based q&as smoothly dovetail with the pensive tone of Paterson-s words and images. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)