SEE FOR YOURSELF

What we see, how we see, and how eyes work.

DePrisco looks at eyes, light, and vision from many angles in this fact-filled introduction. Her topics range from the physical appearances and workings of human and animal eyes to lighting up the dark and seeing light from distant stars. She includes suggestions for taking care of your eyes (healthy eating, wearing protective gear when appropriate), eye evolution, a short history of glasses, and some optical illusions. Spread by spread, the information is presented in short, manageable paragraphs, each titled and accompanied by an appropriate photograph. These stock photos include humans of varying races. The lively design is attractive and appealing; the information is helpful, likely to answer the kinds of questions readers have. How did I get to have eyes this color? How do we see colors? What happens during an eye exam? What do animals see? Six intriguing questions (“Why do honeybees have hairy eyes?”) on the front endpapers are answered on the back. (The hairs detect wind direction.) The text invites readers to engage—even suggesting a simple activity demonstrating how a curved lens turns what you see upside down. The use of infobits will appeal to browsers, but the addition of extensive resources, a glossary, and an index makes this useful for elementary school researchers as well.

A wide-ranging and engaging survey.