The Watering Can

PreS-Gr 3–A young girl with light skin and short, curly hair finds a yellow watering can left out with the neighbor’s garbage as she is walking home from school along the city streets. She decides to take it home and use it to water the family plant and is shocked when the plant becomes gigantic. Could it be the watering can? Upon this amazing discovery, she decides to experiment by sprinkling water on a sock. Sure enough, it also becomes enormous. The girl decides to try it on the cat, the apartment, and the car, at which point, she runs out of water. Because she used up all the hot water, she decides to refill the watering can with cold water before sprinkling herself. This time, she gets a drastically different result. She becomes tiny. Deciding it must be the temperature of the water creating these changes, the girl heaves the watering can up to the sink, turns on the hot water, and jumps into the bucket. When her deductions pay off, and she returns to a normal size. She quickly returns everything else to its original size before her mother gets home from work, at which point she tells her mother that nothing special has happened. Later, when returning the watering can to where she originally found it, she finds a paintbrush. Illustrations of multi-colored birds, trees, pets, and more hint at the beginning of a new magical adventure. The pen-and-ink illustrations, reminiscent of those created by Pat Hutchins, give the story a retro vibe and add a lighthearted feel to this whimsical tale.