THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT

A tally of natural and manufactured light sources, all atmospherically depicted.

With visual effects ranging from ghostly to dazzling, Peot opens with a glow-in-the-dark crystal jellyfish on the cover, then goes on to depict lightning and fireworks, fireflies, fungi, certain deep sea squid, and several other sources of luminosity, all shining in subtle blends of color against deep black backgrounds. Parsimonious when it comes to word count but not vocabulary, she specifically names each—“Mycena singeri (meye-SEE-nuh sin-JE-ree) gleam. // Clusterwink snails blink. // Dinoflagellates (DEYE-noh-fla-juh-litz) sparkle”—and in closing notes adds details and definitions to go with lists of audience-appropriate books and websites. “Stars twinkle” in a final spangled scene, but Peot never explains why, nor do light-shedding minerals, LEDs, or lava (among many other light sources) make the cut…so student readers will find the broader catalog in Walter Wick’s A Ray of Light (2019) helpful. Still, the art is infused with a contagious sense of wonder, and even younger audiences will benefit from the exposure to scientific nomenclature. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Illuminating, even literally—but better regarded as a showcase for the artist than a full topical study.