The Great Lakes

Our Freshwater Treasure

Illustrated by Jamey Christoph
A stunning picture book about the five largest lakes in North America - how they formed, the importance of their abundant freshwater, and how they've become a national treasure - in the latest book from the author of Caldecott Honor book The Noisy Paint Box.

The Great Lakes—Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior—are five blue jewels set a bit off center in a belt across North America’s middle. Bordered by eight states and part of Canada, the Lakes hold 21% of the world's fresh water. How did these incredible lakes get there? And what can we do to preserve such a treasure?

Follow along as a drop of water in this enormous system and uncover its dramatic journey from lake to rive to lake, over Niagara Falls to lake and river again, and finally into the Atlantic Ocean.
Barb Rosenstock is the author of the Caldecott Honor Book The Noisy Paint BoxVincent Can't SleepThrough the Window, and Mornings with Monet, as well as many other books. Her most recent book, Mystery of the Monarchs, is a 2023 NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Title and a Junior Library Guild Selection. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband, sons, and two big poodles. Barb has always lived near the Great Lakes, and wrote this book to satisfy her lifelong curiosity in their formation. View titles by Barb Rosenstock
JAMEY CHRISTOPH is the illustrator of several picture books, including Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution, Bones in the White House: Thomas Jefferson's Mammoth, and Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America. He has also created illustrations that have appeared in the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle and has received distinguished recognition from the Society of Illustrators. Jamey lives in Ohio with his partner and their dog. See more of his work at jameychristoph.com and follow him on Instagram at @jameychristoph. View titles by Jamey Christoph

Educator Guide for The Great Lakes

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

★ "[A]n accessible and absorbing story....the closing details on the role of the lakes in Anishinaabe culture and a generous source list make this a must-buy for schools and public libraries." —Booklist, starred review

★ "A richly detailed picture book....Readers young and old will learn something new and be inspired to protect these precious resources." —School Library Journal, starred review

"A fervent tribute to a treasured natural resource." —Kirkus Reviews

"This clever nonfiction book takes readers on a journey with the Great Lakes through time and physical space." —The Bulletin

"Informative moments abound in Rosenstock’s profile....digitally combined drawings and watercolor paintings prove a ready companion to the illuminating text." —Publishers Weekly

About

A stunning picture book about the five largest lakes in North America - how they formed, the importance of their abundant freshwater, and how they've become a national treasure - in the latest book from the author of Caldecott Honor book The Noisy Paint Box.

The Great Lakes—Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior—are five blue jewels set a bit off center in a belt across North America’s middle. Bordered by eight states and part of Canada, the Lakes hold 21% of the world's fresh water. How did these incredible lakes get there? And what can we do to preserve such a treasure?

Follow along as a drop of water in this enormous system and uncover its dramatic journey from lake to rive to lake, over Niagara Falls to lake and river again, and finally into the Atlantic Ocean.

Author

Barb Rosenstock is the author of the Caldecott Honor Book The Noisy Paint BoxVincent Can't SleepThrough the Window, and Mornings with Monet, as well as many other books. Her most recent book, Mystery of the Monarchs, is a 2023 NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Title and a Junior Library Guild Selection. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband, sons, and two big poodles. Barb has always lived near the Great Lakes, and wrote this book to satisfy her lifelong curiosity in their formation. View titles by Barb Rosenstock
JAMEY CHRISTOPH is the illustrator of several picture books, including Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution, Bones in the White House: Thomas Jefferson's Mammoth, and Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America. He has also created illustrations that have appeared in the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle and has received distinguished recognition from the Society of Illustrators. Jamey lives in Ohio with his partner and their dog. See more of his work at jameychristoph.com and follow him on Instagram at @jameychristoph. View titles by Jamey Christoph

Guides

Educator Guide for The Great Lakes

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Praise

★ "[A]n accessible and absorbing story....the closing details on the role of the lakes in Anishinaabe culture and a generous source list make this a must-buy for schools and public libraries." —Booklist, starred review

★ "A richly detailed picture book....Readers young and old will learn something new and be inspired to protect these precious resources." —School Library Journal, starred review

"A fervent tribute to a treasured natural resource." —Kirkus Reviews

"This clever nonfiction book takes readers on a journey with the Great Lakes through time and physical space." —The Bulletin

"Informative moments abound in Rosenstock’s profile....digitally combined drawings and watercolor paintings prove a ready companion to the illuminating text." —Publishers Weekly

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