All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon; illus. by KatherineTillotson Preschool, Primary Jackson/Atheneum 40 pp. 3/11 978-1-4169-7130-6 $15.99

Lyon celebrates the essence of life itself in a lyrical presentation of the water cycle, concluding with a vigorous admonition: "All so precious - do not waste it. And delicious - we can taste it. Keep it clear, keep it clean. . .keep Earth green!" Correcting what many young children may imagine as water's genesis at hose or spigot, Lyon writes, "Water doesn't come. / It goes. / Around," and segues swiftly to "Thirsty air / [that] licks it from lakes / . . .guzzles it from oceans," and then the cool air that makes "those clouds / just / let I it I go I and / rain / rain / rain". . .in "a wealth of water." Meanwhile, in sweeping, digitally rendered art resembling watercolor and collage, Tillotson creates luxuriant ocean swirls and pelting streaks of rain, followed by "far away" scenes in beige and tan where "dry grasses rustle / dirt's just dust." Then it's back to "this wet wonder" that flows "through you and through me." It's a familiar subject but a vital one, to which author and illustrator bring a passion and artistry that give it the power of story. JOANNA RUDGE LONG