“Conserving Water” is a collection of three stories with a single purpose — joyfully encouraging the conservation of water. These three stories take up conservation playfully, empathetically, and with gratitude.
Ages 4+
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About the Stories
“The Game of Drought” from Martin & Sylvia
Martin and Sylvia's family is invited to a wedding in California. As they prepare, they learn that conserving water is important to the cousin who lives there. In fact, the two people getting married are both educators about water conservation. Momma has an idea: What if we played a game? A game where we try to use less water? Brother and sister are excited and motivated, and for the next week, they enjoy playing "The Game of Drought" — a game that is not only a challenge, but is lots of fun.
This story turns water conservation into a game with measurement and strategy.
“The Paddle Wheel” from So Many Fairies
A long time ago, a paddle wheel turned the millstone for a town’s flour mill. The paddle was run by the constant flow of water from the millpond, and the water was guided by a gentle water fairy named Pooshla. Pooshla, like most fairies, loved gratitude, and since the miller and the townspeople were generous with their thanks, Pooshla was generous with the flowing water. When the gratitude began to thin and was replaced with feelings of expectation and privilege, Pooshla’s flow also began to thin ... until the flow eventually stopped. And so the paddle wheel stopped moving and the mill was abandoned. But many, many years later the gratitude returned — but in a most unexpected way.
This story honors the role gratitude plays in water conservation.
“The Water Hole” from The Willowbee Tree
When the Willowbee family goes camping, Clancy enjoys himself but for one thing: he doesn’t like limiting his use of clean drinking water. He prefers using the drinking water for bathing and washing his hands, and this creates tension with the rest of his family. Upon their return home, however, the willow tree takes the children to a very hot and dry place in the American Plains — where they meet a bison, a jackrabbit, a team of wild boars, and a troupe of prairie dogs who must figure out how to best share the water of a single water hole. Their solution gives Clancy something to think about.
This story focuses on the power of community when choosing to conserve water.