Review Detail

Using Water around the World (Welcome to My World)

Kids Nonfiction 279

Great Look at Water Use Around the World

November 09, 2025 (Updated: June 19, 2026)

Overall rating

4.3

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Learning Value

5.0

It's easy to take clean, running water for granted in the US, but not everyone is that lucky. This Welcome to My World series, which covers a variety of topics, starts with describing the different ways that water is used. It's not just important for drinking; water is essential for cooking, cleaning, and staying cool. We find out about getting water from plants in desert environments and from snow in icy ones, and learn how children in some parts of the world spend a large part of their day transporting water. The effects of dangerous water are outlined, and the impact of wells on communities without good supplies of water are explained. At the end of the book, the importance of clean water is discussed, and there is a map that shows where each of the examples in the text takes place. There is a short glossary, as well as a brief index.

Good Points

I was surprised at how many things I learned from this 24 page book. I had never heard of fog screens, which collect potable water from the fog in Peru, and also did not know about milk plants in the desert. My students would be surprised to find out that many people still wash clothes in rivers or have to get water from trucks and transport it home in containers.

The photographs in this book are all helpful in supporting the text, and I enjoyed the insertion of facts that went along with the theme of the pages. It was good to know that line drying clothes really is better for the planet; I hand out my laundry mainly to save money!

While this series is probably best suited to elementary schools due to the short length and simplicity of information, reading Using Water Around the World would help even middle school readers understand the plot of books like Bajaj's Thirst. Offer this to students who want to know more about how water is used around the world along with Clendenan and McLaughlin's Fresh Air, Clean Water Our Right to a Healthy Environment Daniele and Wu's The Girl Who Tested the Waters: Ellen Swallow, Environmental Scientist, and Mihaly's Water: A Deep Dive of Discovery.