Small, Sparkling Raindrop

‘Small, Sparkling Raindrop’ is the latest in the ‘Start Small, Think Big’ series. These lovely books thoughtfully present information by starting with things children are familiar with and connecting these to the bigger picture of the world.

In this book, children follow the path of a raindrop from the moment it falls from a cloud. Through its journey, they learn about the water cycle, the vital role water plays for all living things, how water shapes the land and the importance of clean water to the environment.

The text is beautifully presented, supported by attractive, eye-catching illustrations. The raindrop tells its own story at each stage, clearly and concisely explaining what is happening whilst additional information is also offered, written in italics to be easily differentiated from the raindrop’s narrative.

An excellent classroom resource, the book links with many curriculum areas and, although geared at a KS1 audience, would be very useful in KS2, supporting understanding of topics such as the water cycle or rivers. Technical vocabulary associated with these subjects is carefully used and explained, for example, children learn why a river delta has this name. The book focuses on the Mekong river, offering a chance to enrich the curriculum by drawing attention to a river which might not be a ‘typical’ classroom choice and offering potential for further research and discovery.

As with all the titles in this series, the book concludes with a fold-out which pulls together all the information covered through the book, plus offers an I-Spy game which encourages readers to re-explore the book, hunting for the animals.

A great addition to the series!

Start Small, Think Big: Small, Sparkling River

Mary Auld, illustrated by Lou Baker Smith

Mama Makes Books ISBN: 978-1916780101

You can read my review of ‘Flying, Fluffy Seed’ here and ‘Small, Speckled Egg’/ ‘Little, Brown Nut’ here.