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Friday, March 4, 2022

When the World Runs Dry by Nancy F. Castaldo


When the World Runs Dry: Earth’s Water in Crisis

Written by Nancy F. Castaldo

Algonquin Young Readers. 2022



As I sit here writing this review, I have a glass of water by my side. After reading When the World Runs Dry, I understand what a luxury it is to refill my glass when it becomes empty with a simple turn of the faucet. Science writer, Castaldo’s narrative nonfiction explains how water, essential for all life on this planet, is threatened and what we can do about saving this precious, essential  resource.


In eleven chapters, the book recounts worldwide issues that threaten our water supply. From lead in water pipes (Flint, MI), industrial pollution from chemical and coal production, contamination of groundwater from fracking, herbicide and pesticide pollution from agriculture (both large farms and home weed control), harmful algal blooms (HAB’S) and Red Tides, pharmaceutical pollution, droughts, rising sea levels to how the lack of water, and all the above listed reason for that lack of water, has seen a rise in conflict among nations.


Sobering facts, yet the book ends with some powerful stories of people who are working to raise awareness to issues surrounding water quality and quantity, as well as, ways readers can make a difference in your daily life. All doable tips we’ve been reading about for many years. 

    • Take shorter showers
    • Don’t flush the toilet every time
    • Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth
    • Only run your dishwasher when full
    • Fix leaky pipes
    • Try a rain barrel to water your garden

The book’s design is all in black and white, including photos, with additional facts highlighted with a grey background. The author includes an introduction, glossary, a list of resources, source notes, and index.


Recommended for collections that need information on our world’s water crisis and saving our planet.


Other books to include in a display include: An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore, Chattanooga Sludge by Molly Bang(river pollution), City of Water by Andrea Curtis (how water gets to our cities), and to reinforce our interconnectivity to our planet add the series on the Sun by Molly Bang(My Light, Living Sunlight, Buried Sunlight, Rivers of Sunlight, Ocean Sunlight), and Trout are Made of Trees by April Sayre.


1 comment:

  1. As they say, if it's yellow, then it's mellow... :)

    Looking forward to reading this!

    ReplyDelete