sunlight

Good Golden Sun by Brendan Wenzel – Book Review

| Tasha

Good Golden Sun by Brendan Wenzel (9780316512633)

The sun comes up on a dark world. One flower is waiting to absorb the sunlight, opening as the sun rises. A bee visits the flower, carrying the light of the sun from the flower to its hive. A bear eats the glowing honey from the hive and is in turn feasted on by mosquitos that are then eaten by a bird and the cycle of sharing solar energy goes on. Eventually wolves poop on the ground and the plants absorb the energy. A cow eats the grass, a human milks the cow and night falls as a cat enjoys the milk.

Poetic lines invite young readers to explore the way energy moves through a food cycle and how we are all interconnected with one another. The illustrations are particularly compelling with the glow of energy moving across the various creatures and the page.

A beautiful shining read. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Review: Buried Sunlight by Molly Bang

| Tasha

buried sunlight

Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm

Everything needs energy in order to grow and we also need energy to run machines.  This energy comes from the sun though it may be stored as fossil fuels underground.  The fossil fuels have stored that energy inside them and it is released when they are burned.  This book looks at how sunlight energy is stored in fossil fuels, explaining photosynthesis and the balance of oxygen on the planet.  It speaks to the way that oxygen was first released to the atmosphere and the millions of years that it took to create fossil fuels.  The book then informs readers about the impact of carbon dioxide on the planet and the resulting climate change.  In the end, the book lets readers know that the choice for the future of the planet is theirs.

Bang worked with Chisholm, an award-winning MIT professor on the information in the book.  Told from the point of view of the sun, the book takes a clear and scientific tone throughout, enhanced by the more personal point of view.  The information is compellingly presented and interesting.  The final pages of the book offer even more details about the fossil fuel process for those looking for more in-depth information.

Bang’s illustrations capture the information of graphs along with an artistic feel.  She manages to keep it scientific but also speak to the wonder of the process and the beauty of the captured sunlight energy. 

This fourth book in their Sunlight series continues the combination of science, beauty and natural wonder.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from library copy.