Water Through the Ages
Where does water come from, where does the poo go? A funny, true book about the history of clean water, from dinosaurs to today.
About the book
Every time you use a toilet, you're using one of the greatest inventions in history.
Throughout history water could make you very ill. People threw their waste into the street, rivers turned into sewers, and nobody knew why so many people were getting sick.
Water Through the Ages tells the story of how that changed, from the dinosaurs to the Romans, through dark ages and the crowded cities of the Industrial Revolution, to the, engineers and doctors who worked out how to keep water clean.
It's packed with real history, gross facts and big ideas, it ends with the most important water hero of all: the child reading it.
Meet the Water Heroes
Real people who changed the way we live.
Two Thousand Years ago
The Romans built huge sewers to take away waste and aqueducts to carry fresh water into their towns.
400 Years ago
Sir John Harington invented a flushing toilet and gave one to Queen Elizabeth I. It never caught on… yet.
One hundred and fifty or so years ago
Built London's giant sewers after the Great Stink.
Inside the book
True stories, told simply
Real history, checked against expert sources, written in short sentences that children can read aloud on their own.
Word Bank
Tricky words are underlined and explained at the back, with easy ways to say them (Baz-al-jet, anyone?).
Fun Facts
You can live for about three weeks without food, but only about three days without water. Discover how much of your body is water.