Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring The Earth To Life,   ISBN:9780545044226

Customer Rating: 

First of all, I wonder if the writer of the Product Description in the Editorial Review section ever read this book! Living Sunlight does not show "children, teachers, and parents the remarkable magic of what makes us human." This book is about photosynthesis, not magic or being human. I love that the narrator is the sun, who is "talking" to children with a clear, respectful, and lyrical voice. I have explained many complicated ideas to children but I could never have explained how photosynthesis works in the personal and immediate way that Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm have. Like all of Molly Bang's books, Living Sunlight is beautifully illustrated; children enjoy examining the details on each page. She uses the same style of illustrations as those in the previous, companion books, Common Ground and My Light. Visually and thematically, these 3 books go together.

Hurry up bookstore buyers, teachers, librarians, parents, and friends of children! If you didn't have Living Sunlight for Earth Day, buy it now because every day is Earth Day.

Customer Rating: 

Every child has a long list of "whys." Some questions are easy for a parent to answer while others, such as those in the scientific department take a bit more thought. Why do we have light? Why are plants important? What would happen if there were no plants on earth? Holly Bang and Penny Chisholm have teamed up to explain the concept of photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is a very complex process, yet they make it seem simple by explaining how light energy is converted to chemical energy and stored as "CHUNKA-CHUNKA-CHUNKA . . . sugar!"

"My light becomes the energy for all life on Earth.

All living things --
including YOU --
pulse with my light
and keep circling
round and round on Earth."

I loved the simple, beautiful flow of this book. I was immediately drawn to select this book by the stunning artwork. The scientific lesson and the illustrations mesh perfectly. With books like this science for the young child can be exciting and fun!