Bright in the night

Gr 1--5--The night sky may not always be visible due to city lights, but the moon, the stars, and the Milky Way can be seen in areas where there is little human interference. Each page discusses objects in the night sky, plants, animals, ocean creatures, and mysterious lights. Animal eyes appear to glow due to the reflective lenses in their eyes. Animals living deep in the ocean have lots of reasons to provide their own light. Even plants and bacteria have luminescent abilities. Some things can't be seen with the naked eye but can be seen using an ultraviolet light. The interior print is very small, and readers will need ample lighting to read the white text. The dark backgrounds contain plenty of room for numerous illustrations painted in glowing, bright colors. The final pages brighten as the night ends and the sun shines to start a new day. VERDICT Use this title as an overview of the topics, but additional sources will be needed for in-depth research. For students seeking science materials about the bizarre and strange, this book will fit the demand.--Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio

"When night falls, everything is dark. Or is it?" In this Swedish import, Sjberg suggests that viewers look again, and against pitch-black backdrops she casts sprays of stars and curtains of ionized northern (and southern) lights across night skies, glimmering fish and other marine creatures in shallow or deep-sea settings, lambent residents of otherwise lightless caves, fungi and even birds glowing eerily in ultraviolet light, and empty city streets faintly lit by windows and streetlights. Mainly she focuses on the natural world, presenting views of astronomical phenomena, ranks of fluorescent minerals, and dozens of biofluorescent or bioluminescent creatures. These include fire centipedes and certain shrimp that cast glowing nets of slime as a defense, the reflective eyes of cats and deer, puffins with UV-reactive beaks, luminous earthworms, toothy anglerfish, and, in the near future perhaps, glowing trees and textiles. Sjberg occasionally plays fast and loose with factsa star will last for a bit more than "thousands of years," and there actually is a natural explanation for swamp lights. As well, the survey presents readers with a visual challenge by presenting much of the narrative in tiny, dim type. Still, while feeding scientific interest, the author effectively makes a comforting point that for all its feeling of scary mystery, the dark is rarely, if ever, absolute.An illuminating look at the dark's wonders, both informative and atmospheric. (afterword) (Informational picture book. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.