Book Description
for Water in the Park by Emily Jenkins and Stephanie Graegin
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Over the course of a summer day in a city park, time is measured by the hour as dramas and pleasures small and large unfold. "Just before six o'clock, turtles settle on rocks. They warm their turtle shells in the light. Good morning park!" Dogs and their humans show up between six and seven, when the first babies appear. By ten, the playground is packed with children and caregivers. At eleven, park volunteers water the flowerbeds. At noon, "it's time for lunch. Maybe a nap." And so it goes, hour by hour, on through the afternoon and into the evening. A few children (and dogs) show up several times throughout the day, but the park itself, with its ever-changing cast of characters and myriad, constantly varied activities, is the focus, as is the steady advance of an unseen but ever-present clock toward day's end, marked by darkness. "Good night, park." Emily Jenkins's engagingly detailed and perfectly paced narrative is set against Stepahanie Graegin's equally wonderful illustrations. There's so much to look at and discover across the pages of the story, and the hours of the day. (Ages 3-6)
CCBC Choices 2014. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2014. Used with permission.