Cold Light: Creatures, Discoveries, and Inventions That Glow

by Anita Sitarski

Luminescence sheds light on the adventure of science. Scientists and many others have explored the science and wonder of cold light—the chemistry of animals and things that make light but not heat. A seventeenth-century alchemist tried to turn a stone into gold. He failed, but the stone glowed in the dark instead. The alchemist began to mold the first luminescent objects. A light also came on one night for the famous chemist Robert Boyle. After he saw a raw chicken glowing in his kitchen, he began his own research into luminescence. With light humor, Anita Sitarski brings the thrill of discovery to life as she recounts the stories of the alchemist, chemist Robert Boyle, the adventurers who first saw bizarre creatures glowing in the depths of the sea, and others. Awe-inspiring, full-color photographs accompany the compelling, fact-filled text in these scientific explorations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jim]

Not a bad, quick summation of the history of our discovery of cold light in insects & fish through where it is going in the future. Definitely for kids, but there was a lot I found interesting. I was a little incredulous of the coverage of OLEDs at the end & then realized the book must be old. It was published in 2007, so it isn't old, but technology is moving so fast & I'm taking it for granted. I just hadn't realized how quickly they'd moved from discovery to mainstream use.

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob)]

Decent comprehensive science book on cold light from rocks and insects, jellyfish and bacteria. Feels like a pretty detailed book while not being too complicated. I paraphrased the book to my 6 year old as it was a topic she was interested in but she didn't have the attention span to sit through the entire book. We'll probably revisit the book in a year or so when her attention span improves.

[Caitlin Ball]

This was an interesting read. It reminded me of The Electric Fairy, the story of Loïe Fuller. I couldn’t help but wonder what she and Marie Curie would have thought about all of it, and how excited they’d become for the chance to study and dance with it.

[Melissa]

Good for research on Bioluminescence

[Angela]

Listened to audiobook as a family on a long drive.

[Khris]

Interesting juvenile non-fiction about various forms of "cold light." Great photographs.

[Marina]

This book needs 3.5 stars. It has some interesting tidbits but there are not enough of them.