On her website, author-illustrator Molly Bang laments that over the past 10+ years, "American children's lack of knowledge
about even the most basic scientific principles. That information is what prompted Bang to write these four excellent books about the Sun's role in creating life on Earth. Her writing is engaging as she makes complex scientific principals easy to understand. Complementing the text are Bang's full-page color illustrations. The author also includes a detailed author's note that further explains the concepts highlighted in the book. 
My Light (Scholastic, 2004) examines the sun's role in creating electricity by using water, wind turbines, or fossil fuels.
Living Sunlight: how plants bring the Earth to life (Scholastic, 2009) partners with Penny Chisholm, an MIT professor, to explain the astounding process of photosynthesis. It connects all of life. Without plants, you could have no oxygen or food; without plants there would be no life on Earth.
In Ocean Sunlight: how tiny plants feed the seas (Scholastic, 2012). Bang and MIT professor Penny Chisholm write about the sea and how many sea creatures depend on the microscopic plants called phytoplankton.
Once again, Bang and Chisholm team up with the latest addition to these books, Buried Sunlight: how fossil fuels have changed the Earth (Scholastic, 2014). They answer the question, What are fossil fuels and how did they come to exist? They also explain how, in a very short time, by burning coal, oil, and gas, we have changed the delicate carbon balance of air and water and it is changing our climate. What does this mean and what should we do about it?All books have a strong environmental message. They are perfect for sharing with middle and high school science classes or to read aloud to your school-age children.
