AGUA, AGÜITA / WATER, LITTLE WATER

In this bilingual (Spanish/English) book the poet reminds readers that water is life.

“My name / is Water / but everyone / calls me ‘Little Water.’ ” So begins this poem written in free verse about water. Little Water tells about being born in Mother Earth; climbing to the surface, entangling in roots, and climbing along rocks; resting on leaves, spider webs, and flower petals when it reaches the surface. Drop by drop Little Water becomes a river, a lake, and an ocean, eventually climbing to the sky. When Little Water becomes a cloud, drop by drop it returns to Mother Earth. “I am Little Water / I am life.” concludes the poem. Mixed-media full-page illustrations accompany the text, giving visual focus to Little Water’s cycle of life. Forms are appropriately rounded, with repeating patterns that emulate ripples and waves even when depicting plants and landscapes. At the end of the book readers will find the poem written in Nahuat, the language of the Pipil-Nahua people of El Salvador in Central America. Argueta himself is a Pipil-Nahua, a people not many children in the United States may be aware of.

Hopefully this poem will spark conversations not only about water, its cycle, and life-giving importance, but also about the different cultures in our hemisphere.