NIGHT BECOMES DAY

Changes occur every day all around us.

This text leads readers to notice and seek out the many changes that are taking place in their world: An acorn sprouts and grows, clouds form, a volcano erupts. Argentine simultaneously folds in a lesson in opposites. “Change can BRIGHTEN” shows a desert with mountains in the background before and after a rain, the left one barren, the right one covered in blooming pink flowers. “Change can DULL” pictures fallen leaves and the beginning of soil formation. Changes can be small/big, quick/slow, hot/cold, or ancient/new, and they may take place above/below. An author’s note encourages readers to think about how all things, living and nonliving, are connected, defining this branch of science as ecology. Further backmatter provides more information about the various examples in the text and the branches of science they fall under (geology, botany, biology, chemistry, and physics). This is written at a higher reading level and largely uses undefined vocabulary (microbes, humus, molecules, minerals), possibly creating a mismatch between the audience for the main text and children who will understand the backmatter, though it could be a solid springboard in older elementary and middle-grade science classes. In addition, some of the facts presented are incomplete or incorrect. For instance, subduction is not the only means of volcano formation. The stock photos are well chosen to highlight the changes and will hold readers’ interest.

A catalyst for conversations about change.