C. Vance Cast

Where Does Water Come From?
The book that I chose as an example of a non-fiction book that connects with a science process skill is: Where Does Water Come From ?, by C. Vance Cast and illustrated by Sue Wilkinson. This book is part of the Clever Calvin book series which is a series that introduces kids to different elements of science like pollution and electricity. This particular book focuses on the water cycle and where water comes from. One way in which this book helps kids understand the different scientific elements is to provide a list of key vocabulary words. They are bolded and underlined throughout the text and then further explained in a glossary in the back of the book. There is only one character in this book and that is Clever Calvin, however, his only purpose in the book is to narrate. This particular non-fiction book does not develop any kind of story; it simply relays facts about water. An interesting aspect of this book though is that Calvin is a major part of all of the illustrations, which gives this book some sort of human element, and helps the reader be able to relate the contents back to their own life.
The setting in this book is slightly hard to discuss due to the fact that there is not really any type of storyline, however, the book does visit some interesting places while attempting to explain how the water process works. The first interesting place is an underground cavern full of huge boulders and stalactites and stalagmites. The purpose of this particular setting is to show that water can collect in these underground caverns, and from there it seeps through cracks in the soil into deep layers in the earth’s surface until it reaches a layer it can no longer penetrate. Here the water will continue to collect, creating an aquifer. The next interesting setting is a reservoir with a dam that helps ensure that the water will collect. The purpose of including this place is to demonstrate one of the potential ways in which a town can collect water to be used throughout all of the homes and businesses. Another interesting setting was the inside of a water plant, which gave readers a chance to see all that has to happen before the water that comes out of their faucet reaches their home. The final interesting setting aspect that I found in this book was an aerial view of a map showing how the water starts at the lake or ocean, flows through aqueducts to treatment plants, then on to water towers or reservoirs, and finally into homes. This map is very helpful in that it allows the readers to visually see the process.
The plot of this book is as equally hard to discuss as the setting was because like I said before, there is no storyline. The beginning of the book starts out by discussing how important water is. It includes a few intriguing facts like that our bones, fat, organs, and muscles all contain water. The book also discusses how all living beings need water to survive. The book then goes on to discuss that water cycle. It explains that when water is heated by the sun, it turns into a gas called water vapor. The vapor rises to the clouds where it cools and condenses, eventually falling as precipitation. The book then goes on to discuss how some of the water is absorbed by the plants or even by the earth itself and how this water can be stored underground in things called aquifers. It then goes on to discuss how the water that did not get absorbed will travel on to lakes and oceans where it will then travel eventually to water treatment plants. Once the water reaches the treatment plants, it will undergo extensive cleaning regimens that prepare the water to reach our homes. This book would probably be appropriate for a fourth grade level and up. It is extremely scientific though, so I would only recommend it for someone who is really interested in learning about the water process.… (plus d'informations)