"The Aral Sea once stretched across modern-day Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Formerly the world's fourth-largest lake (called "sea" because of its vastness), the Aral Sea's 26 square miles (67 square kilometres) sustained its surrounding communities for generations. Beginning in the 1960s, aggressive Soviet industrialization diverted water for cotton and other crop production and caused the lake to shrink. Today the waters that had thrived for centuries have almost entirely disappeared-and along with them, the biodiversity of the lake, its thriving fishing industry, and the many homes along its shores. Told in a folkloric style with stunning illustrations, this true tale chronicles what happens when nature's generosity is exploited. It gently invites readers to consider the reality of irreversible environmental harm, its global impact, and what it means to be compassionate to the land we live on"--