Me and My Shadow

by Arthur Dorros

Explains what shadows are, how and when they exist, and how they reveal the size and shape of things around us.

Genres: Picture Books, Science

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Fabyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me and My Shadow is an enjoyable and engaging picture book that will bring joy to both children and adults alike. Despite the lack of a main story and character, its attempt on teaching the reader the principles of shadows can be greatly appreciated. Arthur Dorros, both the writer and illustrator, sought to maximize the material the reader is retaining by using directions and visual examples within the book that allows the reader to participate in activities as they read this book, either independently or in the classroom.

The transitional pictures utilized in this book does a marvelous job illustrating how light on objects make a shadow and how the orientation of the light can influence the size and shape of the shadow. By using various situations like shadow finger-puppets, and the Earth’s transition from night to day, the author can explain meaningful activities for the reader to follow if he or she has access to the materials associated with the story to create a physical and interactive demonstration. Therefore, this book would be an effective teaching tool for science and geography classes.

I was delighted to have read this book. It brought me joy and a ton of memories from my childhood. Me and My Shadow is a special book that will resonate well with all children of both genders, regardless of their backgrounds.

[Makayla Robles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that’s great for science! It talks about how shadows are apart of our every day life. They’re with us walking, they hide the sun, they can be used to tell stories, or they can even make your drawings look more realistic! The examples in this book are very relatable, and I like how straight forward everything was. For example, it says “hold out a book, or a bear, or a piece of paper. Whatever blocks the light makes a shadow.”
I also thought that the illustrations reinforced the text quite nicely. From demonstrating ideas, to incorporating shadows into almost everything, this book is a great introduction to the science of our shadows! I would recommend this book for early elementary school students.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engaging way to explain the science of shadows to children. The book describes the various ways we see and use them, like x-rays, and how we can create them ourselves in imaginative ways.

The narrative is age appropriate and the illustrations are colorful, if a bit rudimentary.

[Sara C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This book was all about shadows and it was a very interactive book. It takes you through a little boys journey who was curious about shadows. It has loads of examples of how you can make shadows and opens your eyes to shadows all around in your every day life.

Activity: Since the book is already very interactive, the obvious choice was to do an activity on making your own shadows! You can do this while reading the book or you can do it once the book is over. I would probably do this while I am ready the book that way they can see real life examples of what the book is talking about. Between pages, show the children how to make shadows with a flashlight. If it is a nice day out, you can take the class outside and see what kind of natural shadows you can find.

Citation: Dorros, A. (1990). Me and My Shadow. New York: Scholastic.

[Taylor Darst · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, not my favorite but it was cute.