My Light

Brief Description: Often taken for granted, the sun gives us more than its light. Here, acclaimed author and illustrator Molly Bang presents a celebration of the wonder and power of the sun and its radiance. With dazzling paintings and a simple poetic text, MY LIGHT follows the paths of the sun's rays, showing the many ways in which we obtain energy from its light. As in COMMON GROUND (Giverny Award for Best Science Picture Book), Bang uses a story to explain the basic concepts behind electricity and our energy resources--a compelling and easily-accessible way to present a non-fiction subject. Biographical Note: Molly Bang has written and illustrated more than twenty books for young readers, including WHEN SOPHIE GETS ANGRY--REALLY, REALLY ANGRY...; TEN, NINE, EIGHT; and THE GREY LADY AND THE STRAWBERRY SNATCHER, each of which were Caldecott Honor books. Bang divides her time between Falmouth, Massachusetts, and Norther California. Review Quotes: School Library Journal(April 1, 2004; 0-439-48961-X) Gr 1-5-Bang has chosen a huge topic, and in some ways, it overwhelms her. Writing in the voice of the sun, the first-person narrative investigates various forms of energy on Earth, all derived in one way or another from the light and heat of this solar system's major star. It's an enormous task-how to describe the weather cycle, dams, turbines, electricity and its generation, windmills, fossil fuels (she mentions coal but leaves out oil), and solar cells in an illustrated book for fairly young children-and Bang is only moderately successful. Indeed, in the introduction to four pages of much denser end matter, the author mentions that her notes started turning into an encyclopedia, but, mercifully, an editor "cut them WAY back. Now those notes are on my Web site at www.mollybang.com, and I hope interested readers will do further research on their own." Overall, the author makes a valiant stab, and for science-minded children who can absorb a large amount of information, this title could be an interesting selection. Her stunning and technically accomplished illustrations, as always, are radiant and worth a look. Despite its shortcomings, this ambitious book is an illuminating auxiliary purchase.-Dona Ratterree, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. Publishers Weekly(February 23, 2004; 0-439-48961-X) With the carefully honed prose and wholly original visual imagination that have long been her hallmarks, Bang (When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry...) explores the many ways in which the sun's light is transformed into the energy that fuels almost everything on the earth. Children will like the voice: the speaker is the sun ("your golden star"). The energy from "my light" becomes the book's recurring visual motif: Bang visualizes it as undulating necklaces of golden, effervescent dots that travel through space, pulsate through power lines and wind in aPublisher Marketing: A picture book with bright illustrations explores the influence of the sun and examines how its light, heat, and power benefit our daily lives and the world in which we live. Review Citations:

Kirkus Review - Children 03/01/2004 pg. 218 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

ALA Notable Childrens Books 02/15/2005 pg. 1015 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

New York Times 06/27/2004 pg. 15 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

School Library Journal 04/01/2004 pg. 128 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2004 pg. 25 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2006 pg. 316 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2010 pg. 489 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2004 pg. 341 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2004 pg. 258 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

Booklist 02/01/2004 pg. 974 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Publishers Weekly 02/23/2004 pg. 75 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2004 pg. 421 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2004 pg. 421 (EAN 9780439489614, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Bang, Molly MOLLY BANG has written and illustrated more than twenty books, including three Caldecott Honor winners: When Sophie Gets Angry Really, Really Angry; Ten, Nine, Eight; and The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher. She lives close to the ocean in Massachusetts.