Where does water come from? Where does it go? Drip Drop, Water's Journey takes you on water's journey beginning in rivers, lakes, and oceans, moves through water-treatment centers, along underground tunnels into the pipes in your house or apartment building, and out through the faucet in your bathroom or kitchen.

After you have used it, water runs down the drain and out of the house, through underground sewer pipes and back to the water-treatment center. The book tells how a water-treatment center cleans water. After treatment, the water can be used again.

Water can take many forms. It can be a liquid, a solid, or a gas. Think about when ice cubes melt in your glass—that's an example of water in a solid form changing into a liquid form.

Water travels in a continuous path through Earth and its atmosphere, called the water cycle. The journey begins in Earth's oceans. As the Sun heats the ocean, the water evaporates, turning into a gas. Sometimes this gas meets cooler air, and the gas changes into drops of water. This process is called condensation. Drops of water fall back down to Earth again as precipitation, which can be in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail. The precipitation fills up the rivers, lakes, and oceans, and the cycle begins all over again.

Why is water so important? It is important because every animal and plant must have water to live. Two-thirds of your body is made up of water. But most of the world's water is not available for drinking. Ninety-seven percent of Earth's water is salt water. The rest of the water is frozen in glaciers and some is polluted. Clean, fresh water is important. Discover ways that you can help conserve, or save, water.

Try the Drip Drop, Water's Journey Activity to learn more about what happens to water as it travels through the water cycle.