I SEE MYSELF

The scientific principles of light and reflection are often studied in first-grade classrooms, and any first-grade teacher will tell you it’s not always easy to convey such complex ideas to six-year-olds. Cobb (I Get Wet, above, etc.) explains the introductory ideas about the way light impacts sight and reflection, managing to make her text interesting and informative for both children and adults. Gorton’s jazzy illustrations focus on a redheaded girl who carries out the simple hands-on activities and experiments described in the text, using a hand mirror, a flashlight, and a ball. The computer-generated art features large, simple layouts that will work well with a group and unusual treatments with the text in size and placement that augment the ideas being explained. The simple experiments are designed for parents to do at home with children as the volume is read, but classroom teachers in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade will also use this in science lessons. Cobb’s extensive experience in science education is reflected in this illuminating work that sheds light on some sophisticated scientific principles. (author’s note) (Nonfiction. 3-6)