Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas
By Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm
This highly informative text is beautifully illustrated
throughout. Typically, I find that
scientific processes such as photosynthesis are best represented with
photographic diagrams, but Molly Bang does a great job of representing these
types of processes. This story
answers a question I didn’t even realize that I had or should have had. And one that I’m sure will interest
students as well: “…where are the ocean’s green plants?: For students using “What Smaller Than a
Pygmy Shrew” in their science classes will relate to this discussion of they teeny
tiny plants, phytoplankton, that you need a microscope to see. These ideas are somewhat difficult to
wrap your brain around, but the illustrations do just what they are needed to
do. They illustrate the points
being expressed in each piece of text. The probing questions throughout make me think of students
saying, but wait…what about…[insert seemingly unlikely, but completely probable
scenario here]? As a result, I
think students will especially enjoy the way the text moves logically from
point A to point B. The poetic
text weaves from one idea to the next and the notes following the main body of
text of the book explain each point in turn with more scientific detail. This book is the third installment in a
series with “My Light” and “Living Sunlight”, both of which would work well
with lessons about the power we get from our sun. Penny Chisholm seems to be the information piece of this
project, where Molly Bang brings it to life with text that young students can
understand and illustrations that bring each idea to life with context. The bright colors offset the time spent
in the deep, deep, deep, deep ocean.
Kudos on a job well done bringing a tricky scientific concept to life
for elementary and middle school students (and teachers).
Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas
ISBN: 978-0-545-27322—0
Published 2012 by The Blue Sky Press
I borrowed this copy from the public library to read and review it.
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