Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  A young girl describes the excitement of water day, when a man comes to her Cuban neighborhood to deliver water.  The family needs water to bathe, cook, drink, and flush the toilet. Bisabuelita (great-grandmother) remembers her childhood when rain fell every day, filling the water tanks. “What changed? Everything. Weather. Rivers. Groundwater. Lakes.” After the water man arrives and fills their blue tank, the fish lady shows up, selling tiny fish to eat the mosquitoes that come to the water, carrying malaria and other diseases.  The girl says good-bye, knowing she will see the water man and fish lady in another five days.  Includes an author’s note with additional information about the global water crisis and mosquitofish.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Cuba’s water crisis is described succinctly and quite matter-of-factly by the young narrator who sees it as part of her life.  The colorful illustrations add a cheery note to a pretty dire topic.  The additional information helps flesh out what is going on in the story.

Cons:  I was thirsting for a list of additional resources, but the well was dry.