The Science of Light: Things that Shine, Flash, and Glow

by Margaret Peot

Overview

This glow-in-the dark jellyfish invites you to find light all around, in this foundational science book for young children.

An Orbis Pictus Honor Book

Sun shines.
Stars twinkle.
Aurora borealis glimmers.

Dramatic paintings of lightning, fire, fireworks and more introduces the sources of light—both natural and manmade—and encourage children to look around and observe. Kids will gasp in surprise at the beautiful glow-in-the-dark cover. Margaret Peot's distinctive art style captures the elusive nature of light. Bioluminescent squid, fireflies and phytoplankton reveal light sources in living things. Fireworks and light bubbles sparkle on the page.

This foundational science book will kindle curiosity in physical science and the natural world. The simple text makes science accessible to all ages. Toddlers will delight in the colorful art at storytime. As they grow, kids will return to this nonfiction favorite and discover new ideas each time. Science vocabulary and definitions are included in the back of the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823456079
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.15(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Margaret Peot is an artist, writer, and teacher. She paints costumes for Broadway theater, as well as dance shows and ice shows, and she creates activity book sets and instructional arts and crafts books. She wrote and illustrated Crow Made a Friend, an I Like to Read Book, for Holiday House.

Editorial Reviews

"While this book is beautiful and engaging it also makes a great teaching tool which can be enjoyed by a wide range of readers."—School Library Connection

"A breathtaking book that introduces STEM concepts to young learners. . . ."—School Library Journal

"Illuminating, even literally. . . ."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

11/18/2022

PreS-Gr 1—A glow-in the-dark jellyfish darts across the cover of this eye-catching introduction to sources of light. Inside, 14 illustrations pulse with life and concise descriptions such as "Fire warms. Fireflies flicker," making this an enjoyable introduction to types of light for toddlers, preschoolers, and younger elementary children. Colorful light sources shine against black backgrounds; paired with the spare text, this is an engaging story time choice. Phonetic pronunciations for new vocabulary, a bibliography, and additional websites add detail. VERDICT A breathtaking book that introduces STEM concepts to young learners and provides a good jumping-off point for myriad scientific topics or even casual conversations.—Rosemary Kiladitis

School Library Journal

2022-09-14
A tally of natural and manufactured light sources, all atmospherically depicted.

With visual effects ranging from ghostly to dazzling, Peot opens with a glow-in-the-dark crystal jellyfish on the cover, then goes on to depict lightning and fireworks, fireflies, fungi, certain deep sea squid, and several other sources of luminosity, all shining in subtle blends of color against deep black backgrounds. Parsimonious when it comes to word count but not vocabulary, she specifically names each—“Mycena singeri (meye-SEE-nuh sin-JE-ree) gleam. // Clusterwink snails blink. // Dinoflagellates (DEYE-noh-fla-juh-litz) sparkle”—and in closing notes adds details and definitions to go with lists of audience-appropriate books and websites. “Stars twinkle” in a final spangled scene, but Peot never explains why, nor do light-shedding minerals, LEDs, or lava (among many other light sources) make the cut…so student readers will find the broader catalog in Walter Wick’s A Ray of Light (2019) helpful. Still, the art is infused with a contagious sense of wonder, and even younger audiences will benefit from the exposure to scientific nomenclature. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Illuminating, even literally—but better regarded as a showcase for the artist than a full topical study. (index) (Informational picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews