Dancing with Water

An intergenerational story about a nonbinary child who learns the tradition of well digging in this picture book about community, hope, and protecting the Earths water.

As soon as Kits old enough to ride in Grandpa’s truck, they begin joining him to dig wells for their community. Grandpa is magic. He can feel the weather in his bones, and hes able to dance with water. With just a tree branch in his hand, Grandpa sways and spins over the land until he finds a spot to dig a hole into the waiting earth. When the water springs up, Grandpa and Kit jump for joy.

As new hotels and factories pop up across town, clean water becomes harder to find. Sometimes, no water flows at all. Kit is sad for Grandpaand for Earth.But one day, Grandpa senses that Kit is ready to dance with water too. Grandpa reminds Kit that the energy and strength of their people flows through the water. As they wait and watch for fresh, clear water to flow up from the ground again, Kit recognizes the power shared between themself and Earth.

Gwendolyn Wallace is an award-winning childrens literature author and PhD student at MIT in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS). Her picture books includeJoy Takes Root,The Light She Feels Inside, andthe forthcomingImagine New Suns. Her work for children focuses on Black environmentalisms, cultivating radical imagination, and the past, present, and future of social change.

Tonya Engel is an award-winning artist, mom, and illustrator. Engels personal, autobiographical work can be found in public and private collections around the world. She has been the recipient of several awards and honors for her book illustrations, including the 2020 Septima Clark Book Award and the 2022 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor.

• Publisher: Kokila
• Publish Date: August 12, 2025
• Pages: 40
• Dimensions: 9.0 X 11 X 0.39 inches | 1.3 pounds
• Language: English
• Type: Hardcover
• EAN/UPC: 9780593617908
• BISAC Categories: Family – Multigenerational