I’m a Photon

Gr 2-4–Dr. Vavagiakis has taken advanced physics concepts and made them approachable through rhyming text and kid-friendly language. Readers learn about photons alongside the children depicted, the most prominent of whom resembles the main character from the picture book, Ada Twist, Scientist with her double-puffs and glasses. Watercolor and gouache illustrations capture the curiosity and delight of the children as photons demonstrate their speed, show the range of light across the electromagnetic spectrum, and introduce some of the cutting-edge research in the field. One photon asks, “Who will find out with me? Will it one day be you?” The diverse range of children shown make it clear that anyone can grow up to tackle these questions. Back matter includes thumbnail images from each spread and an explanation of the principles or experiments depicted. The double-slit demonstration that light acts as both a particle and a wave, the James Webb Space Telescope, and uses for particle accelerators are all discussed. There is also a list of websites for more information on these topics.