2018 School Spending Survey Report
Rivers of Sunlight: How the Sun Moves Water Around the Earth
BANG, Molly & . illus. by Molly Bang. 48p. (The Sunlight Series). Scholastic/Blue Sky. Jan. 2017. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780545805414.
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Gr 1–3—A celebration of the grandeur and power of the sun, a source of energy that provides humans with warmth and light. Told from the point of view of the sun ("I lift water from the salty sea by warming the ocean's surface waters."), this selection explores how water recycles itself. In the process of following the water cycle, kids also learn about evaporation, aquifers, the Gulf Stream, and the ocean conveyor belt. The language is descriptive and dazzling; for instance, water molecules "jiggle, jiggle, jiggle until they pop into the air, leaving their salt behind. Evaporation!" The illustrations, rendered in the familiar blue, yellow, and green of other titles in this series, beautifully illuminate the processes covered, while also rewarding careful scrutiny. This work could easily be used as a mentor text to study how words and visuals work together. It ends with a gentle plea for readers to care for the earth's waters.
VERDICT An outstanding choice for introducing young children to the water cycle. This is a book to return to many times.—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York
Bang and Chisholm bring their energy-centered perspective on Earth systems to the water cycle. As in prior volumes (My Light, rev. 5/04; Living Sunlight, rev. 5/09; Ocean Sunlight, rev. 5/12; Buried Sunlight, rev. 9/14), the sun serves as narrator, showing us how its energy, upon reaching the Earth, interacts with water and supports life. The explanations hinge on the concept of flow: water flows from the atmosphere and oceans, it flows through our bodies and across our landscapes. As readers travel along with the "river of water vapor flying through the sky," we see its transformations into clouds and rain, rivers and lakes, back into water vapor, and down into the ocean. The science is superb, moving well beyond the typical water cycle representations to emphasize the dynamic, constant, nonlinear movement of massive amounts of water. Bang and Chisholm even go down into the oceans, to explain how the flow of deep and surface currents cycles water and regulates Earth's temperature. Bang's illustration conventions from earlier volumes -- yellow dotted waves of energy and translucent water molecules sparkling over green and brown lands, blue skies, and indigo seas -- are joined here by swirls and veils of white dotted water vapor. Ocean currents are represented by yellow squiggles like sunlight flashes off the tops of waves -- all thoughtfully conceived representations of chemistry and physics. The sun ends with a warning about the need for conservation and management of water resources. As in previous volumes, the book closes with extensive, strongly scientific notes, here looking at water at the molecular level; discussing the effect of climate change on Earth's water; and more. danielle j. ford
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