You Are Light
by Aaron Becker; illus. by the author
Preschool    Candlewick Studio    16 pp.
3/19    978-1-5362-0115-4    $15.99

Becker (Journey, rev. 9/13, and sequels) presents a striking board book about colors, the sun, and, more broadly, the environment and our interconnected ecology. The book cover features an intricate laser-cut sun surrounded by a dozen die-cut circles, each a different, translucent hue and in rainbow order. As pages turn, readers can hold the book up to the light — or, better yet, the actual sun — for a gorgeous effect, as certain colors are highlighted (or hidden). One central image on each spread (the sun, fire, wheat, leaves) points to the individuality of various elements in nature, while Becker’s brief, poetic text simultaneously underscores their synergy: “This is the light / that brings the dawn // to warm the sky / and hug the land.” An eye-pleasing novelty board book for young children with additional depth that recommends it for slightly older budding environmentalists.

From the September/October 2019 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.