Over at Growing with Science blog, we are featuring the new picture book Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature by Cynthia Argentine.
The premise of Night Becomes Day isn’t easy to explain, but simply amazing. It is an introduction to periodic scientific processes such as life cycles, the water cycle, and the rock cycle. However, no topic is treated separately. Argentine overlaps the concepts, comparing and contrasting, to show the general qualities of transformations.
To help clarify, let’s look at an example. the author compares the ancient process of forming a diamond crystal deep in the Earth (part of the rock cycle) to the brief, fragile formation of a snowflake (part of the water cycle). These complex processes are revealed using age-appropriate text matched with high quality stock photos. She pairs words like quick – slow, hot – cold, dull-brighten to show the contrasts.
The back matter will knock you over. Argentine’s author’s note explains how changes occur in both living and nonliving things, how connections are made, and how the science of making connections is Ecology. In the next section, “A Closer Look At The Science of Change,” is actually a zoomed out view of the text, explaining the big picture. In the diamond versus snowflake spread, for example, she explains how chemistry, geology, and physics are all involved in the process of forming crystals.
Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature helps young readers see how natural processes relate to one another. Reading it might just transform them!
If you’d like to read more, visit Growing with Science for the complete review and activity suggestions.
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