Water Day

4.0

5.0 (1)

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Author(s)

Margarita Engle

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Olivia Sua

Publisher

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

August 22, 2023

ISBN

978-1665918718

Buy This Book

A joyful picture book from acclaimed author Margarita Engle about a young girl and her community celebrating the arrival of the water man who visits weekly to distribute water to the village.

Water days are busy days,
grateful, laughing,
thirsty days.

A small village no longer has a water supply of its own, but one young girl and her neighbors get by

Editor review

1 review

Eye Opening Read

November 30, 2023 (Updated: June 03, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Water Day shows the importance of the Water Man and the Fish Lady to bring potable water to the community. Water is scarce and they depend on these services that arrive every five days. Then they can bathe, wash clothes, water trees, cook, and flush toilets. Since keeping a tank of potable water can lead to mosquitos the fish lady comes to give them the fish that can eat the larvae of the mosquitos. This book is meant to be joyful and celebrate the important jobs the Water Man and Fish Lady have in the community. I live in a water-rich place and this level of strife was eye-opening. This is a powerful read in conjunction with lessons about conservation and the importance of protecting our Earth’s resources. It is easy to believe we need to conserve water but to read a book that shows the level of deprivation nearly 2 billion people worldwide are experiencing adds a new perspective to the issue.

Connie Reid, Site Manager and Staff Reviewer Top 10 Reviewer 1013 reviews

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User reviews

1 review

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0(1)

Characters

5.0(1)

Writing Style

5.0(1)

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0(1)

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Water is hope

April 13, 2026 (Updated: June 03, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Thank you to Margarita Engle and Simon and Schuster for a copy of Water Day. I don't get many chances to review childrens' books and love to do so.
The drawings in Water Day are so colorful and incorporate many day to say scenes in a town where water must be delivered. The author later explains that water is often delivered every five days in places that do not have fresh water available - ie Trinidad de Cuba, Nepal, etc. This book does a wonderful job of explaining that "water is hope" and how important water is to a household for drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning, gardening and flushing. She also explains how the water man (who brings the water) and the fish lady (who brings the mosquito fish that eat the mosquito larvae in the water to keep it fresh) are viewed as heroes.
I know this book will come as a shock to many children who are used to turning on a faucet, flushing a toilet, etc and who don't really have to give fresh water a second thought since it's so available to them.
The drawings by Olivia Sua are beautifully done in what looks like crayons or paint and very much how a child would see a neighborhood. The colors are beautiful and I'm happy to see many people used to portray family members and neighbors.