Dark Matters: Nature's Reaction to Light Pollution

by Joan Marie Galat

Light and dark have affected the ways humans, plants, and animals have grown and thrived. In fact, light and dark have affected pretty much the entire natural world around us. But lights from cars, streetlights, houses, shopping malls, skyscrapers, and other structures make towns and cities glow with light so bright it can be seen from outer space. What happens when humans tamper with the age-old balance of day and night?

Told through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Joan who loves the outdoors, Dark Matters introduces young readers to the fragile animals that are impact by our increasingly threatened nighttime skies.

Come discover the amazing night life of frogs and bats, turtles and fireflies, birds, plants, and so much more. And learn how their lives and Earth’s ecosystems are negatively impacted by light–much of which is so unnecessary.

This book is packed with fascinating and unexpected facts and illustrations, and comes with tips and suggestions on how young people can help reduce light pollution. Because dark matters.

Genres: Nonfiction

72 pages, Hardcover

First published July 16, 2017

About the author

Although she started making books at the age of nine, Joan Marie Galat wasn’t published until she was 12 years old, when she became a paid weekly newspaper columnist. Today she is the award-winning author of more than 25 books, with translations in eight languages. Her titles include Mortimer: Rat Race to Space (DCB), Solve This! Wild and Wacky Challenges for the Genius Engineer in You (National Geographic Kids), Stars (Scholastic USA), The Story of Malala Yousafzai (Rockridge Press), Dark Matters: Nature's Reaction to Light Pollution, and Dot to Dot in the Sky—Stories of the Aurora (Whitecap Books).

Joan shares her love of the stars in the Dot to Dot in the Sky series which combines the science of the night sky with the ancient myths that give constellations and planets their names. Her first title, Dot to Dot in the Sky, Stories in the Stars, became a best seller within six weeks of its release. As well as astronomy and mythology, Joan’s books for children explore light pollution, ecology, nature, volcanoes, wildlife, engineering, printmaking, cultural traditions, and history. Her titles include both fiction and non-fiction, often with a focus on one or more STEM or STEAM topics (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). Her titles for adults include a travel guide and motivational book. A frequenter presenter, Joan offers both virtual and in-person talks and school visits.

Joan operates MoonDot Media, a communications business offering writing and editing solutions in broadcast, print, and multi-media. Her freelance jobs have encompassed writing radio and video scripts, a cartoon, magazine articles, exhibit text, speechwriting, grant applications, annual reports, and other projects. She also provides corporate training and public workshops, as well as consults for writers on query letters, manuscripts, and the submission process.

Reviews

[Stella]

A nonfiction book for older children about light pollution. I enjoyed how the author tells it from the perspective of herself as a child to young adult, growing up and having experiences with nature, loving the night sky, and eventually going into ecology and learning about scotobiology. I also like the wide range of animals covered: sea turtles, birds, fireflies, fish, frogs, bats, etc. The only problem I had was that the text font color changes and the background contrast isn’t always enough. It was fine when it was white text on black background. But most pages had a blue to white background like a starry sky with sky glow, and the text was blue. That made parts of the book more difficult to read. It was maybe a tad repetitive in places, but it gets the point across.

[Barbra]

This non-fiction book contains beautiful photographs and interesting information and side bars on how light affects the entire planet. Readers ages’ 10 to 15 will learn about plants and animals that thrive in the darkness, and the growing concern that light pollution is negatively impacting these fragile environments.

[American Mensa]

Dark Matters is a fairly short, non-fiction book about a little-known issue: light pollution. Many people are unaware of the reason why so little stars can be seen in the night sky, in cities, and even suburban towns. Galat adds child-friendly, reminiscent narrative to fact, creating a book chock full of interesting science that kids eight to eleven years old can enjoy. It covers a lot of ground regarding the effects of light pollution on nature, as suggested by the title, and is all in all a great way to cover the subject for younger people. I’ll give Dark Matters 5 stars for excellent facts, and I would normally deduct stars for the storytelling which I personally didn’t like, however, I don’t think I’m the target audience of the book, and therefore am not a great judge on the (dark) matter. Nonetheless, the book is perfect for its target audience, and I would recommend it to any science-loving kid, or as an addition to an elementary school class library.
Reviewed by Masha K, age14, Boston Mensa

[Karen Griffin]

I simply love this book! Joan Marie Galat's newest title, Dark Matters, Natures Reaction to Light Pollution, reveals the growing problem of light pollution and how it affects all living things. Her genuine love for the natural world, especially animals, shines through on every page. Interesting, thought-provoking facts are highlighted alongside often hilarious personal anecdotes from the author's youth. The stories give the reader and intimate glimpse of the early life of a budding ecologist. Dark Matters very effectively makes the reader sensitive to the problem of light pollution and offers practical solutions that are accessible to adults and children alike. I highly recommend this wonderful book!

[Sara]

Cool pictures and interspersed with anecdotes to keep it interesting and moving along. Unfortunately, text color was often blending in with background which made it hard to read at times, and some phrases throughout the book were very repetitive.

[Dan Slone]

A perfect book for introducing young people to the consequences of artificial light's misuse. Full of concise information, but told in story format of a young girl's discovery of the world around her.

[Linda]

A solid narrative about light pollution intertwined with the author's tales of growing up in Canada.