Magic in a Drop of Water: How Ruth Patrick Taught the World about Water Pollution
by Julie Winterbottom; illus. by Susan Reagan
48 pages; ages 6-9
Rocky Pond Books, 2025
theme: biography, water, STEM
When Ruth Patrick was five years old, she fell in love with pond scum.
How can you not want to keep reading with a line like that? The story: she and her dad were out on a nature hike and brought home a number of things to study and (if they could) identify. Among those things: a bottle of slimy brown pond water. When Ruth looked at a drop of that water under the microscope she found glassy gem-like things. Diatoms. She was entranced and wanted to learn more!
But back in the early 1900s girls didn’t study scummy pond water. And they weren’t encouraged to study science. But with her dad’s support, Ruth went to college to study diatoms, and ended up teaching us about water pollution.
What I like about this book: The language is luscious. Here’s how Julie describes diatoms: “jewel-like shapes… ovals made of beads, circles filled with pearls, shimmering stars, lacy triangles…” It’s enough to make you want to collect your own pond water and look for these algae treasures. There are other similes and metaphors tucked into the text. I like how the story expands as Ruth discovers that studying diatoms can tell bigger stories. Stories of floods, and even about the presence of chemical pollution. Stories on a larger scale, from pond to rivers to the ocean. And I like that there is back matter – more about Ruth Patrick and a timeline to put her life and discoveries into a context we can relate to. Also, the end papers are amazing – kudos to Susan Reagan, the illustrator, who captured the magic of diatoms on the page.
I was amazed the first time I saw pond water under a microscope. So I had to ask Julie One Question…
Me: What made you want to write about Ruth and her pond scum (and diatoms)?
Julie: When I first read about her in a book of essays about women in science, three things leapt out at me that made me want to do a book about her. The first was the story of how her father introduced her to the world of microscopic life in ponds and streams when she was only five years old. I thought that was a wonderful way into a scientist's life for young kids. The second was the incredible beauty of diatoms: what wonderful illustrations they would make, I thought. And the third was the important work that Patrick did to get government and industry to do something about water pollution, long before it was a public concern. Pollution is still such a pressing issue, and one that I think many young readers care about.
Both Julie and I were struck by the parallels between Ruth Patrick and Rachel Carson. They were contemporaries, both women in science and studying creatures in water, as well as the impacts of pollution.
Beyond the Books:
Investigate pond water. Collect some and pour it into a clean white bowl (a plastic take-out container works well). Do you see pond scum (algae)? Do you see any insects? Use a hand lens to get a closer look. You might find fairy shrimp!
What happens when water is polluted? Pour some water in a bin and add some plastic ocean animals. Now pollute the water –
great instructions here! Can you clean it up?
Go on a Pond Scum Safari with Sally Warring from the American Museum of Natural History. Remember to take your sketch pad so you can draw the cool micro-life you discover!
Link here.
Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's
website.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
