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Magic in a Drop of Water is a beautifully-illustrated, engagingly-written picture book biography of a pioneering woman ecologist.
*Magic in a Drop of Water: How Ruth Patrick Taught the World about Water Pollution by Julie Winterbottom, illustrated by Susan Reagan. Rocky Pond Books, 2025. 48 pages.
- Reading Level: Picture books, ages 8-10
- Recommended For: Ages 6-10
Ruth Patrick first learned about water when she studied a drop of pond scum under a microscope. Wow! So many interesting little things live in the water. She was just a girl, and she spent her childhood like many a famous naturalist: lugging home various “specimens” that her mother looked askance at. Ruth’s father challenged her to “leave the world better than she found it.”
When Ruth grew up, she studied microbiology, particularly diatoms (some of those interesting things living in the water!). She applied that knowledge to studying rivers and oceans, learning which diatoms survived in which types of water. Diatoms are surprisingly picky about their habitats, and Ruth realized she could tell a lot about the health of a body of water by studying which diatoms (and how many different species) survived where.
Ruth paved the way for much of our modern understanding of water pollution. She helped write the Clean Water Act (1972) and studied more than 800 rivers!
This picture book biography is outstanding. No mention of millions of years or evolution, it engagingly presents Ruth, her life and work, to young readers. Illustrations are fantastic, showing microscopic creatures alongside bigger scenes of Ruth and her students wading in various rivers. Magic in a Drop of Water shows a woman pursuing good stewardship of the earth, seeking to care for it well and learning all she can about the intricacies of it. She’s a good example for all of us to follow!
*indicates a Redeemed Reader starred review, an outstanding example in its field.
Bottom Line: Highly recommended for science classrooms and school/public libraries!
Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader
- Review: Birdlore is a fun picture book biography about another woman nature-lover/conservationist.
- Book Review: All in a Drop by Lori Alexander is a great biography of the inventor of the microscope for slightly older students.
- Book Reviews: More nonfiction picture books about water: Water Can Be… by Laura Purdie Salas, Water Is Water by Miranda Paul and Jason Chin, Hey, Water! by Antoinette Portis.
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