Sue Fliess is one of our favorite authors and we have regularly featured her awesome picture books here at Wrapped in Foil. Her most recent, Flash and Gleam: Light in Our World illustrated by Khoa Le, is perfect for celebrating National Poetry Month and also as a jumping off point for STEM activities.
In what she describes as one long poem, young readers wake with the sunrise, then explore sources of light throughout the day and throughout the world. From candles to the stars, they discover where light is found and what it does.
Now we have a special treat. With permission from Millbrook Press, watch Sue Fliess read and discuss her book.
What more can we say? Check out a copy of Flash and Gleam: Light in Our World as soon as you can.
Related Information and Activities
1. Read all about how Flash and Gleam came to be.
2. Make a Light List
Light can be difficult to explain because although we can see it, we can’t touch it. By making a list of all the places we see light or things that give off light, we can begin to discover what those all have in common and what the characteristics of light are. Use the examples Fliess lists in her book to get started, like rainbows, the sun, and fireflies. See if you can think of some that she missed.
3. Learn more about poetry for National Poetry Month (April), for example visit Kenn Nesbitt’s Poetry4Kids for lessons and activities. Then use your light list to create a list poem.
Learn more about list poems here (scroll to number 3).
Example:
Things that give off light:
Flashlights in a tent at night
Aurora australis – southern lights
Volcanoes erupting lava
Glowworms in a cave
Anglerfish deep under water
The sun, moon, and stars
Your smiling faceby Roberta Gibson
4. Check out some glowing light science activities at Growing with Science.
Did you find any sources of light not discussed in the book? What are they?
Age Range: 5 – 8 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten – 2
Library Binding: 32 pages
Publisher: Millbrook Press TM (March 3, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1541557700
ISBN-13: 978-1541557703
Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.