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58th out of 93 books
—
205 voters
Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas
Acclaimed Caldecott artist Molly Bang paints a stunning, sweeping view of our ever-changing oceans.
In this timely book, award-winner Molly Bang uses her signature poetic language and dazzling illustrations to introduce the oceanic world. From tiny aquatic plants to the biggest whale or fish, Bang presents a moving, living picture of the miraculous balance sustaining each l...more
In this timely book, award-winner Molly Bang uses her signature poetic language and dazzling illustrations to introduce the oceanic world. From tiny aquatic plants to the biggest whale or fish, Bang presents a moving, living picture of the miraculous balance sustaining each l...more
Hardcover, 48 pages
Published
May 1st 2012
by The Blue Sky Press
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I deliberately read this the same day, immediately after reading Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring The Earth To Life; that book was published in 2009 and this book was published in 2012.
This book is structured the same as the above-mentioned book. The bulk of the book consists of gorgeous illustrations with information provided by the sun as narrator. Some of the information is rather sophisticated and I think better suited toward older elementary school children. That’s particularly true of the...more
This book is structured the same as the above-mentioned book. The bulk of the book consists of gorgeous illustrations with information provided by the sun as narrator. Some of the information is rather sophisticated and I think better suited toward older elementary school children. That’s particularly true of the...more
I could have used this book years ago when we were doing an inquiry project on oceans, and we could hardly find anything on plankton. This is a great book for making single-celled phytoplankton into an interesting thing to look at and think about.
This book reminds me of Virginia Lee Burton's Life Story in its storytelling and composition style. It emphasizes the beauty of the life cycles and the organisms themselves, but without making them cute or non-dangerous.
This book also has the extended...more
This book reminds me of Virginia Lee Burton's Life Story in its storytelling and composition style. It emphasizes the beauty of the life cycles and the organisms themselves, but without making them cute or non-dangerous.
This book also has the extended...more
I hope this one at least wins a Sibert Medal this January! It's another excellent book about light, this time about how light "powers" the food chain in the ocean, from the tiny plankton to the whales. Between the text and the gorgeous pictures the concepts presented are clearly explained. I learned a few things myself. Imagine--half the oxygen produced on earth comes from phytoplankton in the sea! That's a HUGE reason not to pollute our oceans. At the end of the book Molly Bang provides further...more
Oh, how I wish I had this book when I was taking biology! This is a great book about, you guessed it, ocean sunlight. It is a non-fiction book about how the sun powers the ocean and the earth and the life cycle. This would be a book that I would most definitely use for a life science lesson for my fourth through sixth grade students. It would be a grade add-on for the text book or an additional learning tool for those students who might be struggling with the subject area. The text in the book i...more
When I taught 5th grade, one of our science units was about the oceans. My students learned about food systems, the ocean zones and floor, and animal adaptations. My students didn't really know very much about oceans before I began the unit and it was so much fun to introduce them to so much new information.
That's a long introduction to help explain why I like this book so much. It's the perfect science read aloud for an ocean unit for students in grades 3 - 5. The information is accurate, beaut...more
That's a long introduction to help explain why I like this book so much. It's the perfect science read aloud for an ocean unit for students in grades 3 - 5. The information is accurate, beaut...more
a non-fiction book about how the sun powers the ocean and the earth and the life cycle. This would be a book that I would most definitely use for a life science lesson for a fourth through sixth grade students. It would be a grade add-on for the text book or an additional learning tool for those students who might be struggling with the subject area. The text in the book is written in simple terms so it is very easy to understand and it correlates directly with the pictures that the students are...more
Very well told story about how phytoplankton are the starting point for the chain of life in the seas. My niece was particularly interested in this book, and was quite taken aback to learn that the "green" in our seas is everywhere (in the form of phytoplankton). Both children were completely disgusted by marine snow (my nephew exclaimed, "WHAT?! There's poop in it?! Fish eat other fishes' poop?! That's disgusting!! WHO WROTE THIS BOOK?!"). I, however, was quite pleased that the author didn't su...more
The sun feeds green plants, which in turn feed animals on land, creating a food chain. But what about animals in the oceans? Invisible pastures of phytoplankton! Accessible language is paired with brightly colored illustrations to present the complexities of the ocean food chain in a very kid-friendly way. Great for units on the ocean, food chains, or the environment. Pair it with Loree Griffin Burns' excellent TRACKING TRASH for an even more thorough understanding about why polluting our oceans...more
What a rich book! Rich in illustration, in information, and in ways of looking at our world. Because of the first person voice, it felt like someone who knew a lot about ecological systems handed us some insights best seen from the vantage point of the solar system. It would have been a great book to share in a storytime or classroom yesterday--Earth Day. The way the bright yellow of the sun is repeated throughout the book keeps the message of its role in our minds. (Still, I was a bit uncomfort...more
As in the case of their earlier title, Living Sunlight, this terrific team simplifies in easy-to-grasp concepts the science link between the sun and the oceans. Back matter includes thumbnail sketches that expand on the information provided in the narrative. The text and lushly detailed illustrations make it very clear that there is plenty of green even in the deep blue ocean. This is science for children at its best. Gosh! How I wish books such as this one existed when I was young.
If you were reading my blog back in 2010, you might remember my love for LIVING SUNLIGHT, the brilliant picture book, also by Bang and Chisholm, that introduced young readers to the process of photosynthesis and the chemistry of life on our planet. I still recommend that book to kids, teachers, and strangers on the street; it is simply the most accessible look at the topic I’ve ever seen.
And now, a sequel to sing about!
OCEAN SUNLIGHT furthers the story, sharing with readers the tale of a “billio...more
And now, a sequel to sing about!
OCEAN SUNLIGHT furthers the story, sharing with readers the tale of a “billio...more
Jul 21, 2012
Lorelle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
teachers
Shelves:
children-s-books,
books-for-school
Wonderful text that clearly explains the importance of sunlight to all of life, but especially to ocean life. In fact, it connects the importance of ocean life to all of us and our need for sunlight. The very colorful, full two-page spread illustrations move the text along and help to explain the text. Great text to use during science unit on adaptations of living things.
Excellent book - it uses reader-friendly language and examples, yet does not "talk down" to children about how the sun fuels life on Earth - on land and in the sea. Besides the wonderful text, the illustrations are magnificent and the back matter provides plenty of extra information for curious readers.
Molly Bang does a marvelous job of helping children understand the following concepts; the importance of the sun, plant life, photosynthesis, food chains, and ocean life. A note section at the back of the book is helpful for more detailed information. This book is appropriate for children in grades 3-5.
Fabulous book. Great read aloud! Kids were riveted to the book, vocabulary building, and learning about photosynthesis; food chains, and life in the sea.
Never heard of Marine Snow before. Kids were grossed out by it but truly it is fascinating and no waste in the circle of life.
Good for BMJ
Never heard of Marine Snow before. Kids were grossed out by it but truly it is fascinating and no waste in the circle of life.
Good for BMJ
Following her Living Sunlight book, this continues the story of how the sun makes life on earth possible. Here, the focus is on the ocean and the role that sunlight plays even in the darkest depths of the sea. The story starts with photosynthesis and food chains on dry land, then moves to the water. Bang asks where the green plants in the ocean are except for the seaweed. Then she shows the tiny phytoplankton that make up the plants of the sea. The food chain is shown and the book then turns to...more
Really good for nonfiction about the flow of energy from the sun through phytoplankton and the ocean animal food web. Note: I was leary when my kids brought this one home, because her earlier book, My Light was so bad. This is MUCH better.
This is absolutely everything I want my own theoretical nonexistent nonfiction book to one day be. Rhythmic prose, jaw-dropping facts, artwork that perfectly matches the overall feel of the book. I HAD NO CLUE PHYTOPLANKTON WERE SO AWESOME!
I thought that this book gave a great simplistic look at the sun and the wide affects that it has on all of Earth's creatures. I did not care for the format of the book and found the back glossary to be a little unappealing.
A look at oceans and the billions and billions and billions of phytoplankton that are an essential part of the ocean food chain. Illustrations give detailed views of many rarely seen creatures that inhabit the sea.
Another great book from Molly Bang. Love the illustrations, as well as the education. I thought the use of all the yellows to contrast the blues of the ocean was brilliant, and I think the illustrations made an already great book even better.
Interesting facts and info; with very nice illustrations. However, if the sun were as close to the earth as suggested in a couple of the illustrations, we would all be crispy critters.
Photosynthesis never looked so good! Check out my full review at http://bookends.booklistonline.com/20... including a Common Core connection.
Ocean Sunlight How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm - Great for 2nd grade and up- sometimes more for older children but younger students can also get a lot out of the book- absolutely gorgeous pictures lead you through this gorgeous informational book told from the perspective of the sun. Loved how the book was packed with information, led you through the ecosystem, and didn't thump you over the head with information on how the earth is ruined but instead shared hope...more
Wonderfully inventive non-fiction book. I LOVE the pictures and the way the author plays with non-fiction content to make it poetic, interesting to read, and interactive.
Marine snow?! Wow.
This title is even more impressive as one of three books (with My Light and Living Sunlight) encompassing the sun's role in the cycle of life.
This title is even more impressive as one of three books (with My Light and Living Sunlight) encompassing the sun's role in the cycle of life.
3.5 stars -- This is a fun and colorful introduction to the ocean ecosystem and food web. This book would be a great resource for grade school science classes.
Great book for a science unit! This book could be used as a reference book because of the way it goes into detail. The illustration are right on point!
I have loved (and used in my classroom) MY LIGHT and LIVING SUNLIGHT. This new volume about the sun and plants and the ocean is another sure winner.
The illustrations in this book series are gorgeous. Excellent resource for students to see the transfer of energy from the sun. It also shows energy transfer through marine species. Wonderful classroom resource. Teacher information is in the back. This would be great for 2-5th grades.
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Feb 06, 2013 09:01am
Feb 06, 2013 09:13am