Children's book launched for World Water Day 2018

22/03/2018
Schools can order Sam and Flo's Amazing Watery Adventure by emailing their order and details to [email protected].​
Watercare education coordinator Sally Smith shows Sam and Flo's Amazing Watery Adventure to students at Botany Downs Primary School.
Watercare education co-ordinator Sally Smith shows Sam and Flo's Amazing Watery Adventure to students at Botany Downs Primary School.

Sam and Flo’s Amazing Watery Adventure —a charming storybook written by our education co-ordinator Sally Smith was officially launched on World Water Day, March 22.

The 20-page, A3-sized book is beautifully illustrated by Auckland artist Emma Scheltema and tells the story of Sam and a water drop called “Flo” as they go on a fantasy quest to find out where their drinking water comes from.



The book is aimed at primary school-aged students but will also appeal to pre-schoolers and intermediate students. 

Students at Botany Downs Primary School were the first to receive the book, with Smith doing the reading.

Smith says the book was instant hit: “The children immediately jumped in with their own experiences of water and how they use it. They loved the journey of raw water as it turned from ‘green’ to ‘blue’ after the treatment process. They also wanted to find out where the water they used went—maybe we should do another book about wastewater.”

Illustrator Emma Scheltema working on the book.
Illustrator Emma Scheltema works on Sam and Flo's Amazing Watery Adventure.

We will be giving every primary school in the Auckland region two free copies. Any other schools will be able to purchase the book at a cost of $29.95 by emailing their order and details to [email protected].   
 
We provide a free education service to schools throughout Auckland, with Smith visiting more than 38 schools and almost 9000 students per year. An experienced teacher herself, Smith has been nurturing the book project for more than two years and finally seeing it in print is a satisfying moment.

“I’ve always wanted to do this because I wanted to answer all those questions that children ask me about where their water comes from, how some water is hot and some is cold in a way that they can understand.”

The book is dedicated to “curious children” and each double page spread is devoted to a different topic, starting off with “Water and my body”—which describes how the human body is dependent on water for healthy cell growth, regulates temperature and so forth. It then goes on to cover: the water cycle; water sources; water treatment (using both raw water from both dams and rivers); the water network; how water is used inside the home and finally, the water journey from its source to the home.

The illustrations are bold and colourful and depict a classic New Zealand wooden villa and iconic Auckland landscapes such as the Sky Tower.  There’s plenty of humour too with bugs like cryptosporidium and giardia having “angry” faces and alum having a “happy” face. There are hidden treasures for children to spy, like a cat hiding under beds.