Light and Color

This book unfolds as a series of observations about light, including where it comes from, how it bounces off of people and objects, and what we mean when we say the colors of a rainbow are the colors in light. Throughout the text, informal experiments prompt young scientists to learn by doing, and impressionistic drawings bring the mysteries of light and color to life. By the book’s end, students will have a useful foundation for middle school and beyond, when they’ll learn about energy, wavelengths, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Light and Color is part of the I Wonder Why book series, written to ignite the curiosity of children in grades K–6 while encouraging them to become avid readers. These books explore the marvels of light, color, machines, sound, and other phenomena related to physical science. Included in each volume is a Parent/Teacher Handbook with coordinating activities. The I Wonder Why series is written by an award-winning science educator and published by NSTA Kids, a division of NSTA Press.

Lawrence Lowery taught in the Oakland, CA, public schools before becoming a professor of science education at the University of California, Berkeley. He has more than 40 years’ experience creating science activities and programs, developing curricula, and writing articles and books, including the NSTA Press publication The Everyday Science Sourcebook and the I Wonder Why series.