Light Waves

by David A. Adler, Anna Raff (Illustrator)

Overview

Fascinating physics facts a young scientist needs to know, from one of the most trusted teams in STEM for children!

This kid-friendly introduction to the physics of light covers the basics of solar energy, the electromagnetic spectrum, photon particles, light scattering, and reflection and refraction. Readers will follow along as two children and a cow in a lab coat learn how light works in realistic and imaginative scenarios.

With accessible language, grounded examples, and easy, hands-on experiments you can do with household items, David A. Adler explains the basics of how light travels and bends.  Anna Raff's bright, humorous illustrations make an intimidating topic easy-- and fun!-- to understand. This colorful picture book is a perfect supplement to lessons on light waves, and a great way to explore the topic at home.
 
Named a finalist for the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Children's category, Light Waves is a must-have book for all self-professed science nerds!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823441167
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	07/17/2018
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	68 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

David A. Adler is a former math teacher and author of more than two hundred books for children.  He has collaborated on several science picture books with Anna Raff, including Things That Float and Things That Don't and Light Waves, a finalist for the SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books.  He is also the author of the Picture Book Biography series, the Cam Jansen mystery series, as well as books on math and history. He lives in New York.

Anna Raff is an award-winning illustrator of children's books. She illustrated David A. Adler's Simple Machines and Things That Float and Things That Don't, which received starred reviews from both Booklist and Publishers Weekly. She lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

"A good beginning look at light and all the ways it's important to life on earth."—Kirkus Reviews
 
"The appealing illustrations nicely complement the concepts conveyed in the text. . . . A worthwhile resource"—School Library Journal
 

"Using a mix of illustrations and simple experiments aimed at a younger reader, David Adler explains the basic composition, behavior, and properties of light. . . . a glossary at the end helpfully pulls together all the optics terminology."—Science Magazine

"Fortunately, Adler knows know how to explain basic scientific principles through everyday occurrences that kids can understand, as well as simple activities that they can do at home. . . . Raff’s cheerful digital artwork includes a few imaginative illustrations of abstract concepts and many images of two children engaged in play that demonstrates the ideas discussed. Explaining light through simply written, basic explanations that offer a sound foundation of understanding for students to build on, this book is a great choice for school and public library collections."—Booklist
 

From the Publisher

05/01/2018
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

School Library Journal

2018-04-16
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. A good beginning look at light and all the ways it's important to life on Earth. (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews