What would it be like to come up with totally new colors? Brothers Bob and Joe Switzer did just that, creating fluorescent colors that glowed in sunlight. An accident left Bob temporarily confined to a dark basement. While he recovered, he and Joe experimented with ultraviolet light and fluorescent paints. After many attempts, they were the first to come up with colors that had the same glow-in-the-dark intensity in both daylight and ultraviolet light. These Day-Glo colors are now used on everything from billboards to safety equipment to golf balls. The illustrations in this book are a great complement to the story, as they start out in black and white and by the end are full of Day-Glo colors.

Awards nominated: 2013 Bluestem Nominee

Reviewed by: msp

Date read: 5/10/2012

ISBN-10: 157091673X

ISBN-13: 9781570916731

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What is a secret? This book talks about secrets that you want to keep, and those that someone has told you, and asked you to keep. It explains the difference between secrets that make you sad, and those that are fun, like a friend's surprise party. It also makes it clear that some secrets should never be kept, such as, 'when someone touches you in a way you don't like or says something that scares you.' Illustrated with full-page color photos, this book is one title of The Conflict Resolution Library.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 1568382715

ISBN-13: 9781568382715

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This book is made up of excerpts from Susie King Taylor's actual diary. She was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1848, as a slave. When Susie was 6, she was able to go to a school taught by a freed slave. In April 1862, when the Yankees captured the island she was living on, the slaves were put under the protection of the Union fleet. The Captain, amazed that Susie could read and write, put her in charge of teaching school to the 40 children there. When the first black regiment to fight in the Civil War was created, Susie served as their nurse. She wrote about trying to keep herself, and her patients, warm, and fed. She mourned the many that died from malaria, smallpox, typhoid, pneumonia, and dysentery. After the war, she moved to the North. Years later, she returned to the South. From the injustices she experienced after the war, she realized that equality still had a long way to go. Her book was published in 1902, and she died in 1912.

Similar books: Dear America fiction series

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 076141648X

ISBN-13: 9780761416487

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This colorful Rookie Read-About Holidays explains the holiday of Diwali in an appropriate way for first and second graders to understand, and enjoy. The word 'Diwali' means row of lights, and marks the beginning of the Hindu year. It takes place in October or November. People celebrate by setting out rows of lights, called diyas. They clean their homes, have big family dinners, and exchange gifts. They buy new clothes to wear to temple, and watch fireworks in the evening. What a great holiday - our 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas rolled into one!

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0531124541

ISBN-13: 9780531124543

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Does a seal smile? How about a wolf, or a mandrill? Explore the body language of different animals. Discover also the unique ability of humans to greet each other in a variety of ways. This book is part of the Early Experiences series.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 1593541686

ISBN-13: 9781593541682

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