Light Waves

The science of light: what it is, how it behaves, and how it colors, energizes, and illuminates our world.

Adler uses small steps to move readers from understanding that light is energy that can be transferred from the sun to plants and animals and to humans to the concept of light as streams of photons that travel in waves that can be reflected, refracted, or absorbed. Demonstrations with common household items show children some properties of light: It travels in straight lines and can be bent or blocked. Adler ends with a discussion of color that will be accessible to children, Raff’s illustrations showing a prism breaking light into a rainbow and then the various colors as undulating lines of different wavelengths. Two further spreads describe infrared and ultraviolet light and how the reflection of light waves gives color to objects. The digital artwork is cartoony and features a pale-skinned adult farmer with curly brown hair, a child with similar features and skin tone, and a brown cow (originally brought into the tale as part of the energy chain—cow to hot dog to energy for humans—and later dressed as a stereotypical nerdy scientist: glasses, green lab coat with pens in breast pocket, red bow tie). Italicized words are defined within the text and in a closing glossary.

Gr 2-5--This book introduces readers to the concept of light waves. Two young children and an anthropomorphic cow take readers on a tour of light energy in its various forms. Readers learn about translucency, transparency, reflection, refraction, different kinds of rays (gamma, x-rays, UV light, radio waves), and more. A handful of simple hands-on experiments are also included, allowing students to learn more about how light travels and how it can be bent using common household materials. The explanations, while simple and concise, are conveyed at a brisk pace--and the book ends rather abruptly. The appealing illustrations nicely complement the concepts conveyed in the text. For example, seven colored waves with different crests and valleys emerge from a prism and reflect from a white piece of paper to portray how colors are observed. The book concludes with an index and glossary, but lacks any listing of additional resources. VERDICT A worthwhile resource for large STEM collections looking to introduce young learners to the basic concepts of light waves.--Maren Ostergard, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA