Light Magic and Other Science Activities About Energy

Kelly L. Green is the co-editor of the Children’s Literature edition
of the Canadian Book Review Annual.

Energy, or “what makes things happen,” is an abstract scientific
concept that requires an inventive presentation if children are not to
be catapulted into either confusion or boredom (conditions of human
inertia that traditional science textbooks are very successful in
creating). Fortunately, Light Magic and Other Science Activities About
Energy is a superb example of the new breed of science books for
children—colorful, clear, packed with useful information, and
thoroughly grounded in a child’s real world.

The presentation is logical and sequential, with such chapters as
“Starting with the Sun,” “Light for Life,” “Wild Wind,”
“Food Power,” and “Good Vibrations” illustrating the concepts of
solar, wind, chemical, and sound energy, respectively. (These are just a
few of the topics the book covers.) The book includes scores of easy,
vividly presented activities that children over the age of 7 or 8 can
perform with little adult assistance. Children can create rainbows,
drink water from their own solar still, and make wind without moving
their hands. No expensive or complicated equipment is required. Once
again, an Owl book has taken “boring” science and made it come alive
for children. Highly recommended.