"Portis narrates in a conversational tone-- 'Hey, water! I know you! You're all around.' But her story tackles a tricky cognitive task--recognizing an element that masquerades in different states. Clean graphic spreads mimic a map, with aerial views of water on the surface of the Earth in the matte palette that Portis ( Not a Box ) fans know. Each watery object--'stream,' 'river,' 'ocean'--is captioned in block letters with running text that conveys the actions of liquid water: 'You trickle. and gurgle. and rush toward the sea.' But water is more complicated than this: 'Water, even when you try to fool me, I know you.' It can hang suspended in midair as vapor ('You hide in the air and drift') or be solid as 'a rock that floats,' or 'soft as a feather and fancier than lace.

But water, I know it's you!' The same element can exist in several different forms, the words imply--our senses don't always tell us the truth about identity. Notes at the end with additional illustrations provide more information about states of matter, the water cycle, and conservation." --Publishers Weekly "Portis' latest picture book is a joyful, lyrical celebration of water. In it, protagonist Zoe (the name is revealed only at the end of the book) realizes that water is "all around" and discovers it everywhere: in her home, in nature, in her community, and in herself ("sometimes you slide down my cheek without a sound"). Done with brush and sumi ink and then digitally colored, Portis' bold illustrations undulate on the page--raindrops roar and pour; dwarfing a whale, oceans surge (even on the endpapers). Words describing the different types of water celebrated ("shower"; "puddle"; "fog") are printed in a large font that harmonizes with the illustrations' brushy look. The picture book also includes informative backmatter: an illustration of the water cycle, a manifesto to conserve water, and a list of additional resources about water and water experiments. An energetic and literary introduction to water science by the author/illustrator of the award-winning Not a Box (2006).

"-- Kirkus Reviews.