Light: The Extraordinary Energy That Illuminates Our World

by Jess Wade, Ana Sanfelippo (Illustrator)

Overview

The author of the best-selling, award-winning picture book Nano presents a vibrant picture-book introduction to the science of light.

From the complexities of the night sky to the inner workings of rainbows, explore and celebrate the mind-bending science of light. Combining text by Dr. Jess Wade—a highly skilled physicist and trailblazing campaigner for diversity in STEAM fields—and beautiful, dynamic pictures by Ana Sanfelippo, this compelling blend of curriculum essentials and cutting-edge physics inspires budding scientists and engineers to step beyond their textbooks into a world of fascinating real-world science.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536249262
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	07/29/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Dr. Jess Wade is an award-winning physicist specializing in plastic electronics and a trailblazing campaigner for inclusion in STEAM fields. The author ofNano: The Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) Small, she won the Early Career Physics Communicator Award and Jocelyn Bell Burnell Medal for her outstanding research and widely covered activism, which includes writing more than 1,200 Wikipedia pages in a year for women and people of color working in science. Dr. Jess Wade lives in London.

Ana Sanfelippo is an Argentinian illustrator, graphic and pattern designer, and letter artist whose books for young readers include the SEN Superpower series by Tracy Packiam Alloway. She lives in Madrid.

Editorial Reviews

This [book] maintains a sense of wonder at the phenomenon it is describing while conveying a great deal of accurate and appropriately detailed information. Sanfelippo’s bright line and soft color illustrations use fanciful forms and varied perspectives to convey complex ideas. . . . Science is artistic and enthralling here.
—Kirkus Reviews

In this informal but not simplistic discourse, physicist Wade explains what light is and how it behaves. . . .There’s much here for younger readers to absorb and reflect on.
—Booklist

From the Publisher

2025-04-04
An introduction to an essential aspect of our universe.

As the accompanying illustration depicts a dark but starry sky, Wade emphasizes the omnipresence of light and considers its sources, uses, and forms, as well as ways humans harness it for their own needs. A glance at shadows naturally follows, along with an invitation for readers to look at their own shadows at different times of day and to observe light reflected, scattered, and dispersed into a rainbow. After discussing colors and the electromagnetic spectrum, the author considers solar panels and then journeys back out to space, bringing the narrative full circle. Logical organization and clear, simple writing provide welcome, well-placed explanations. As in Wade’s previous book,Nano, illustrated by Melissa Castrillón (2021), this one maintains a sense of wonder at the phenomenon it is describing while conveying a great deal of accurate and appropriately detailed information. Sanfelippo’s bright line and soft color illustrations use fanciful forms and varied perspectives to convey complex ideas. Though cartoonish, they deploy romantic motifs like curves, florals, and atmospheric elements. On almost every page, a round-headed, light-skinned child with skin the white of the page experiences the various aspects of light. A scruffy pooch adds humor on most spreads, while a marmalade cat also pops up here and there. Science is artistic and enthralling here.

The optics are optimal in this primer on a basic scientific phenomenon. (extra information on light)(Informational picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews