Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life
LIVING SUNLIGHT shows children, teachers, and parents the remarkable magic of what makes us human.This informative yet dramatic book will mesmerize readers and help further a child's understanding of the energy we share with all living things in nature. We are all dancing sunlight. The book is co-authored by award-winning M.I.T. professor Penny Chisholm, a leading expert on ocean science. A perfect addition to any library!
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Living Sunlight shows children, teachers, and parents the remarkable magic of what makes us human.This informative yet dramatic book will mesmerize readers and help further a child's understanding of the energy we share with all living things in nature. We are all dancing sunlight. A perfect addition to any library! Children's LiteratureLife keeps circling round and round on the earth. This beautiful book explains photosynthesis in very simple, easy-to-understand terms. Penny Chisholm is an ecology professor at MIT. She carefully selected just the right text to set the tone of the story and build the importance of each life on earth. The book has a heartbeat of its own. It moves from the plants and animals that take in the sunlight and grow and make food to the child who then eats the plants and drinks in the sunlight and grows. The pulse of the heartbeat of the child is seen as the pulse of the world, and the warmth of the child as the warmth of the sun inside each and every person. Young children will be mesmerized by the detailed illustrations of the earth in all its glory. This is a perfect book for teaching many aspects of the science curriculum. It is a book that would appeal to the youngest learner or the college student. Outside of the classroom, this nonfiction picture book would be a delightful addition to any personal library. It is a selection you will reach for again and again. Reviewer: Kathy Leggett
\ From the Publisher"If a good picture book does what it sets out to do, a great one sets out to do something huge and succeeds. . . . An outstanding book to read and absorb."--BOOKLIST, starred review\ - "Chisholm, a professor of ecology, expands on the theme [photosynthesis], while the intense greens of Bang's gouaches bring it vibrantly to life."--THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW\ - "LIVING SUNLIGHT is less a tutorial on photosynthesis than a magnificent celebration of life."--NATURAL HISTORY\ \ \ \ \ \ Children's Literature\ - Kathy Leggett\ Life keeps circling round and round on the earth. This beautiful book explains photosynthesis in very simple, easy-to-understand terms. Penny Chisholm is an ecology professor at MIT. She carefully selected just the right text to set the tone of the story and build the importance of each life on earth. The book has a heartbeat of its own. It moves from the plants and animals that take in the sunlight and grow and make food to the child who then eats the plants and drinks in the sunlight and grows. The pulse of the heartbeat of the child is seen as the pulse of the world, and the warmth of the child as the warmth of the sun inside each and every person. Young children will be mesmerized by the detailed illustrations of the earth in all its glory. This is a perfect book for teaching many aspects of the science curriculum. It is a book that would appeal to the youngest learner or the college student. Outside of the classroom, this nonfiction picture book would be a delightful addition to any personal library. It is a selection you will reach for again and again. Reviewer: Kathy Leggett\ \ \ School Library JournalGr 1-4\ In this sequel to My Light (Scholastic, 2004), the focus is photosynthesis and its connection to all living things. The sun continues to be the "star" of the show, narrating the lyrical text. The verse is a mix of fun and fact, explaining that "My light becomes the energy/for all life on Earth." Although the text goes on to connect the sun's energy to plants and then to animals and people, the explanations are quite a leap for the intended audience. Beautiful illustrations light up the pages and swirl across the spreads. Bright yellow outlines large green leaves, landscapes, and animals, radiating against the dark electric blue sky. Magnified close-ups of plant cells offer visual explanations of the process. However, they are more decorative than informative. Fans of the earlier work will find this book equally satisfying. Overall, a worthy general purchase.-Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH\ \ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsMirroring the format of Bang's more energy-focused My Light (2006), this one is in part dedicated to Ben, "who felt it was more important that the sun's energy fuels life than that it can change into electricity." Here, too, the sun speaks in a meditative first-person voice: "All living things- / including YOU- / pulse with my light / and keep it circling / round and round on Earth." Elsewhere, the style and cadence evoke an awestruck child on the playground, excitedly sharing newfound knowledge: "Without plants, / you would have no oxygen. / Without plants, / you would have no food. / Without plants, / you could not live. / Without plants, / there would be no life on Earth." Sunlight is represented visually throughout by tiny yellow dots that travel in and out of Earth's lush blue and green landscapes, often to gorgeous effect. Photosynthesis is thrilling to ponder, and Bang and Chisholm shout their enthusiasm for the process-and for the interconnectedness of all living things-from the (probably solar-paneled) rooftops. (notes) (Informational picture book. 6-10)\ \
