Luminous: Living Things That Light Up the Night by Julia Kuo. Greystone Kids, 2022. 9781771648882
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5
Format: Hardcover picture book
What did you like about the book? In this elegant picture book, a mother and young girl with Asian features explore the world of bioluminescence, in real time and also by using their imaginations. Kuo dramatizes this unique adaptation with black pages filled with fine colorful lines and the occasional bright shape; although she used Photoshop, the illustrations recall traditional scratchboard. The pair starts on land where they examine fireflies and bioluminescent fungi (also called foxfire). Then they drift in a quiet cave looking up at glowworms before imagining the wealth of light-up creatures in the ocean. We meet an anglerfish, a vampire squid, dragonfish, and a crown jellyfish, before returning to the ocean’s surface for a nighttime kayak ride through a swarm of dinoflagellates. Throughout the story, large simple text at the top of the page propels us through the narrative, while passages below in a smaller font provide extra details about the animals and their unique adaptations. Kuo manages to convey a sense of complete wonder while also emphasizing the bond between mother and daughter as they explore the natural world and share its mysteries. Steven Haddock, senior scientist and marine biologist at UC Santa Barbara provided scientific review for the content.
Anything you didn’t like about it? The book will be difficult for those with visual impairment to enjoy. I did wonder why so many sea creatures have bioluminescence while land lifeforms seem few and far between. Guess I’ll have to do some more reading!
To whom would you recommend this book? Children interested in nature’s oddities. I also loved the matter-of-fact Asian inclusion in the book. It’s a great introduction to a fascinating adaptation, with the text and images working in tandem and plenty of awe-inducing moments.
Who should buy this book? Elementary and public libraries
Where would you shelve it? 572.4358
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No
Reviewer: Susan Harari, Keefe Library, Boston Latin School, Boston, MA
Date of review: December 9, 2022
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