THE GREAT LAKES

An invitation to marvel at, and care for, North America’s largest sources of surface fresh water.

Dug out by a massive ice sheet and just 3,000 or so years old in their current form, the Great Lakes are the “youngest major geological feature on the planet,” as Rosenstock writes. She traces the course of a drop of water as it drains from Lake Superior (the deepest) to each lake in succession and then past Niagara Falls and down the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean—a trip that takes around 300 years and passes more miles of U.S. coastline than the Atlantic and Pacific coasts combined. She also sounds an alarm at the threats posed by habitat destruction, pollution, and invasive species in the wake of the arrival of European settlers. Christoph’s opening scenes of native wildlife and unspoiled natural beauty give way to views of human use, including both a racially diverse group of modern young people drinking, cooking, and bathing and earlier Indigenous residents in canoes, harvesting “only what they needed.” Then, images of clear-cut forests and waters polluted enough to catch fire are followed by a glimpse of environmental protesters led by figures in Native American ceremonial garb. Rosenstock invites readers to do their part by caring for wild places and conserving fresh water, after Great Lakes caretaker Kathleen Smith (Enrolled Member, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community) chimes in with a statement of support in the backmatter.

A fervent tribute to a treasured natural resource.