STILL WATER

Young readers are invited to take closer looks at still water ecosystems.

The authors begin by acknowledging that while most people love “babbling brooks and rushing rivers,” they often view still water as “unsafe, unhealthy, and unhelpful.” Announcing a call to “respect and value” the distinctive types and residents of these wetlands, the authors start by exploring puddles on pavement and in trees (the latter formally known as “phytotelma”). They then thoughtfully explain how these and other wetlands (from peat bogs to both natural and artificial ponds) form and profile typical flora and fauna adapted to each habitat—with particular attention to invasive species and other environmental threats. In her standout illustrations, Gottardi intersperses serene, wordless, full-page views of bodies of water worth lingering over with captioned galleries of finely detailed aquatic life, from tiny rotifers to graceful cattails, brightly patterned newts, and birds with every feather visible. Summary pages touting the essential roles wetlands play in storing atmospheric carbon and filtering pollutants lead to a closing nod to the book’s original Italian edition—a glimpse of Loppio Lake in northerly Trentino, a marshy mix of trees and open water that supports “an extraordinary variety of animal and plant species.”

Earnest, informative, and notably rich in visual appeal.