Status
Checked out
Due 2024-04-20
Collection
Publication
Somerville, MA : Candlewick Press, 2019.
Description
This is the light that dwells inside all the brilliant wonders of the world, including YOU!
User reviews
LibraryThing member rdg301library
This sturdy but beautiful board book features a circle of die-cut circles containing transparencies in rainbow colors. As you turn the pages, other colored film is added to combine with the previous shade to create a new color, and some colors are removed to better illustrate the concepts. Hold the
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book up to the light, and the colors glow. In the center of each large circle is a single symbol-like illustration made of two shades of a single color, picturing the concept on the text on the opposite page. The simple rhyming text teaches concepts of light and nature as well as colors to young children (ages 4-8). The cover is also die-cut to reveal the sunburst on the first spread. I felt at times that I was looking into a kaleidoscope, something I still love to do as an adult. I like this book SO much I may keep it for myself. Show Less
LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
I love this! It's simple but beautiful, with sweet words and lovely pictures. The textured cover is great but of course the see-through color features are the most exciting part. I can't wait to show it to my daughter in the morning.
LibraryThing member book58lover
A stunningly simple book that could provoke wonderful discussions with young children. A board book, it shows colors through circular holes on each page. I particularly love the cover sun burst and the drawings in the center of each page. Delightful!
LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
An utterly delightful book which teaches colour and where to find it in nature. The colour format of this board book is delivered by a series of cutouts with transparencies that build as the pages are turned. The rhyming prose is simple and philosophical at the same time. Perfect for the under-5
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year-old audience. (This is a candid review of the book, received from the publisher via the Early Reviewer's group). Show Less
LibraryThing member CTW
What a unique little book! The sturdy pages feature a combination of cut-outs and colorful translucent plastic discs which together create a vibrant color wheel. The illustrations themselves are minimal, colorful symbols that complement the rhyming text, which describes the many functions of light
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("It sips the sea to make the rain", "It feeds the leaves that shade the Earth") and concludes with a metaphorical twist ("This light is you / And you are light"). I could see children of all ages engaging with this book on different levels. This book is as simple and elegant as Mr. Becker's previous stories are rich and complex - can't wait to see what he will do next! Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
Lovely book that is like no other book on colors I can recall seeing. The visual use of colored transparent disks embedded in the book, to show how colors blend and mix is wonderful. Sturdy construction, clean uncluttered pages, meaningful text... it's a great find and a unique addition to a
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child's bookshelf. Show Less
LibraryThing member theresearcher
Gorgeous!!
I loved opening this board book and watching the color wheel grow as each page added another color through transparent color discs.
The rhyming, alliterative text describes different aspects and actions of light: warmth, rain, plant growth, etc.
I ooh-ed and aah-ed all the way to the
I love the concept! And I would love to see more books from Aaron Becker along the lines of this one.
I loved opening this board book and watching the color wheel grow as each page added another color through transparent color discs.
The rhyming, alliterative text describes different aspects and actions of light: warmth, rain, plant growth, etc.
I ooh-ed and aah-ed all the way to the
Show More
last page, which disappointed me by concluding "This light is you. And you are light." In retrospect, given the title, it should not have been surprising. However, based on the poetic but scientifically factual nature of the rest of the book, I found the sharp turn into esoteric new-aginess jarring. When reading to my children, I will change those lines to "The light is God's. God made the light" in keeping with our family's worldview. I love the concept! And I would love to see more books from Aaron Becker along the lines of this one.
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LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Picture-book artist Aaron Becker, creator of that marvelous trilogy of wordless tales - Journey, Quest and Return - as well as A Stone for Sascha, turns to interactive board books in this new title. A simple but poetic text celebrates the power of light, and is paired with stylized illustrations.
After greatly enjoying all of the author's previous titles, I fully expected to take You Are Light to heart. Unfortunately, although I did find the concept interesting, the end product left a little to be desired. The colored windows were fun, but didn't have lasting appeal for me. The narrative worked well, and although it was couched in poetic terms, it made sense (until the end) from a scientific perspective. When, for instance, the sun "sips the sea to make the rain," this is clearly a reference to ocean evaporation and the water cycle. I really appreciated this aspect of the book, that it used non-scientific language but was scientifically sound. Alas, this approach was abandoned on the final page, when the narrator declared that "This light is you. And you are light." I found this rather puzzling, as the focus until that point had been on the sun. Was the narrator trying to say that we (human beings) are the sun? Our lives depend upon that celestial body, of course, but that's a somewhat different statement. Was he saying that we should be like the sun, to those around us? The switch from a scientific to a figurative understanding of light just didn't work for me. In the end, this was a well-designed book (I like the use of the color spectrum, since this is a book about light), and an interesting one. I just don't think it was an entirely successful one. Tastes vary, of course - I have a colleague who considered this his favorite book so far this year (2019) - so fans of Aaron Becker might want to pick this one up and see for themselves.
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Each spread here features a circle of cut-outs in the cardboard page, with colored plastic letting the light through and simulating stained-glass windows.After greatly enjoying all of the author's previous titles, I fully expected to take You Are Light to heart. Unfortunately, although I did find the concept interesting, the end product left a little to be desired. The colored windows were fun, but didn't have lasting appeal for me. The narrative worked well, and although it was couched in poetic terms, it made sense (until the end) from a scientific perspective. When, for instance, the sun "sips the sea to make the rain," this is clearly a reference to ocean evaporation and the water cycle. I really appreciated this aspect of the book, that it used non-scientific language but was scientifically sound. Alas, this approach was abandoned on the final page, when the narrator declared that "This light is you. And you are light." I found this rather puzzling, as the focus until that point had been on the sun. Was the narrator trying to say that we (human beings) are the sun? Our lives depend upon that celestial body, of course, but that's a somewhat different statement. Was he saying that we should be like the sun, to those around us? The switch from a scientific to a figurative understanding of light just didn't work for me. In the end, this was a well-designed book (I like the use of the color spectrum, since this is a book about light), and an interesting one. I just don't think it was an entirely successful one. Tastes vary, of course - I have a colleague who considered this his favorite book so far this year (2019) - so fans of Aaron Becker might want to pick this one up and see for themselves.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Panopticon2
This book is a delight. Not only visually beautiful, but with a meaningful spiritual message too. I enjoy reading this with my 6 y.o. son in the mornings, holding the colour wheels up to the window in his bedroom.
LibraryThing member jlford3
**I received this book via a Goodreads giveaway for an unbiased review**
I read this book with my one-year-old niece and she loved it. The holes are the perfect size for little fingers to grab onto. She wouldn't stop saying "light" and liked feeling the plastic circles. The words weren't stellar,
I read this book with my one-year-old niece and she loved it. The holes are the perfect size for little fingers to grab onto. She wouldn't stop saying "light" and liked feeling the plastic circles. The words weren't stellar,
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but the physical book was great. Show Less
LibraryThing member pussreboots
What makes this book extra special is the center piece. From the cover art you can see the circles that make a color wheel. Each of these circles is made up one ore more layers of lightly tinted film. As pages are turned, more and more of these layers are built up to create the color wheel from the
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primary colors. Show Less
LibraryThing member mommyonthespectrum
The whole book, You are Light, takes place within a circle of transparent colored dye-cut dots. This feature is what makes the book unique. As you turn the pages, more of the rainbow is added. What fascinated me, while being well beyond the mental ability of my toddler, was that the colors blended.
Recommended age: 1-3 years
Writing style: The sentences are very simple to read, with rhymes that span multiple pages. This is an easier book to decode, which means younger children can read it independently.
Lexile range (unofficial): 210L - 400L
Decoding difficulty: 1/5
Vocabulary difficulty: 2/5
Sentences difficulty: 3/5
Patterns difficulty: 4/5
Illustration style: There really aren't illustrations. The main visual focus of the book is colored, see-through dots that you can shine light through. There is a watercolor symbol in the middle of the circle of dots, representing the ocean and grain, but they are somewhat abstract. A child would not recognize them.
Reality-based: Yes. The book talks about the cycle of water and the sun and how those fuel Earth's creatures.
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Each page adds three dots, and only at the end is the full light spectrum present. That would make it a good book when teaching about color or light blending. For younger kids, like my boy, poking all the holes left behind on each page, touching the dots, and looking at the light is entertainment enough. As for the writing, nothing stood out. It could potentially be used to start a discussion about the water cycle.Recommended age: 1-3 years
Writing style: The sentences are very simple to read, with rhymes that span multiple pages. This is an easier book to decode, which means younger children can read it independently.
Lexile range (unofficial): 210L - 400L
Decoding difficulty: 1/5
Vocabulary difficulty: 2/5
Sentences difficulty: 3/5
Patterns difficulty: 4/5
Illustration style: There really aren't illustrations. The main visual focus of the book is colored, see-through dots that you can shine light through. There is a watercolor symbol in the middle of the circle of dots, representing the ocean and grain, but they are somewhat abstract. A child would not recognize them.
Reality-based: Yes. The book talks about the cycle of water and the sun and how those fuel Earth's creatures.
Show Less
Awards
Language
ISBN
1536201154 / 9781536201154
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