Water In the Park

Random/Schwartz & Wade, 2013. Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin.

From the first orange glow on the water in the pond, to the last humans and animals running home from an evening rain shower, here is a day-in-the-life of a city park, and the playground within it.

A rhythmic text and sweet, accessible images will immerse parents, toddlers, and young children in the summer season and the community within a park. Seasoned picture book readers may notice Emily Jenkins's classic inspirations for this book: Alvin Tresselt's Caldecott Medal-winning White Snow, Bright Snow, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin, and Charlotte Zolotow's The Park Book, illustrated by H. A. Rey.

What People Say about Water in the Park:

“A wonderfully fresh look at a timeless topic.” -- Booklist, starred review

"An outpouring of observation that repays careful readers richly." -- Kirkus, starred review

"Graegin’s pencil-and-ink-wash illustrations...beautifully reflect the changing light, the shifting population, and the various activities throughout the day; some of the pictures play up the quiet expanse of nature, while others are jam-packed with people enjoying the outdoors. The constant, in both text and illustrations, is water—pond, drinking, sprinkler, puddle—and a subtle message about urban community" -- The Horn Book

“Emily Jenkins says she was inspired by the various ways she saw people and animals use water during one punishing Brooklyn summer.  Her story’s characters are as diverse as their real-life counterparts in Prospect Park:  multifacial families headed by straight or gay parents; nannies and their charges; an elderly couple who’ve not only grown to look like each other but who also resemble their stoop-shouldered, geriatric dog.  Stephanie Graegin’s pencil-and-ink washes depict more than a hundred individuals (go on, ask your child to count them), and several recur throughout the book, just as you might run into a neighborhood friend. Jenkins taps out the day’s rhythm in clear, unadorned prose, as early-walking dogs give way to midmorning babies, who then make room for adults on lunch break and the after-school crowd, and onward until the skies open up at dusk.”   --The New York Times Book Review