WHO HID THE STARS?

Translated from Italian, a clear explanation of light pollution’s threats, particularly to wildlife, wrapped in glowing nighttime scenes.

Though the authors note that bats, white owls, and other predators actually benefit from light pollution, their message is generally cautionary: More harm is being done than good to insects, migrating birds, and flora that miss their pollinators by blooming prematurely. And, since over 90% of all people on Earth have access to electricity now, it’s getting ever harder to see the stars at night. Gottardi’s illustrations up the warning’s wattage—and the wow factor. Her finely wrought images of flora and fauna share page space with spectacular swirls and explosions of colored lights. The narrative is occasionally interrupted by wordless, deserted, nocturnal views of a snowy park, a moonlit European street, and a broad, modern thoroughfare ablaze with neon. Though some younger audiences may be more inclined to pore over and admire the pictures than reflect on their import, their efforts to reflect will be rewarded, and the simply phrased appeal is backed up by both a useful list of information sources at the end and a link to a far more substantial bibliography online.

Behind the art’s razzle-dazzle, a worthy call for attention to a burgeoning and underreported crisis.