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Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth
Acclaimed Caldecott Artist Molly Bang teams up with award-winning M.I.T. professor Penny Chisholm to present the fascinating, timely story of fossil fuels.
What are fossil fuels, and how did they come to exist? This engaging, stunning book explains how coal, oil, and gas are really "buried sunlight," trapped beneath the surface of our planet for millions and millions of years.
Now, in a very short time, we are digging them up and burning them, changing the carbon balance of our planet's air and water. What does this mean, and what should we do about it?
Using simple language and breathtaking paintings, Bang and Chisholm present a clear, concise explanation of the fossil-fuel energy cycle that began with the sun and now runs most of our transportation and energy use in our world.
Readers will be mesmerized by this engaging fourth book in the award-winning Sunlight Series by Bang and Chisholm.
What are fossil fuels, and how did they come to exist? This engaging, stunning book explains how coal, oil, and gas are really "buried sunlight," trapped beneath the surface of our planet for millions and millions of years.
Now, in a very short time, we are digging them up and burning them, changing the carbon balance of our planet's air and water. What does this mean, and what should we do about it?
Using simple language and breathtaking paintings, Bang and Chisholm present a clear, concise explanation of the fossil-fuel energy cycle that began with the sun and now runs most of our transportation and energy use in our world.
Readers will be mesmerized by this engaging fourth book in the award-winning Sunlight Series by Bang and Chisholm.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2014
4 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
October 11, 2021
This book kind of missed the mark for me. I felt a disconnect between the language used and the subject matter. The language was a little whimsical, what you might use with a smaller child--say 4 to 8 years old--however the science was more complicated and intended for older children--more like the 8 to 12 year range. I also feel like the title is a little misleading. Based on its content, it should be "How Fossil Fuels Are Destroying the Earth". It started off a normal science book, teaching about fossil fuel and how it's created, before turning into a lecture on climate change. I am all for teaching about climate change, but I felt like it was a little on the condescending and preachy side. Changing the title would've at least prepared me more for that. The art had a simple folk style, with rich colors and simple shapes. All in all, it wasn't a bad book, but I feel there were a few things that should've been done differently.
February 13, 2017
This book was the most complex of "The Sunlight Series." Bang and Chisholm did an admirable job of explaining how fossil fuels are formed, and how our use of fossil fuels is changing the earth, though I think some young readers might not fully understand some of the terms used, such as "evolved," or be able to grasp the incredibly huge amount of time "millions and millions of years" is. What I liked best is their simple yet striking description of how the earth will be affected by the continuing use of fossil fuels and the increase of CO2 in our atmosphere. Further text at the back of the book provides more detailed information for advanced students and teachers, including alternate sources of energy and ways to conserve energy. Using the sun as the "narrator" of the text made me feel as though I was receiving the information from a higher being or viewpoint, which is appropriate for such a huge and global topic. Bang's colorful illustrations, perhaps too detailed at times, helped visualize the complex ideas being addressed. I have to recommend this one even to adult readers who need to understand the basics of this topic.
August 17, 2014
Next up in the Sunlight Series, we learn how fossil fuels were made and exactly how the burning of fossil fuels is releasing carbon chains that have been stored for millions of year into our atmosphere and changing the climate of our planet. Narrated by the sun, this book (the whole series, actually) is a must-read for any student (or adult) who needs to understand energy and the role of our Sun in...well, everything!
November 11, 2014
This books takes a basic approach in explaining some very complicated processes, but does so in a way that children can understand. One needs to consider however that there is still much disagreement even in the scientific community about global warming and fossil fuels and what will happen or is happening as we continue to use fossil fuels to build human society. There are a lot of ideas presented here in a beautiful way, but not everyone is going to agree with how it is presented or even what is presented. I really appreciated the more detailed explanations the author/illustrator included at the back including a note about the oversimplification needed to write this book, so it is by no means complete. But it is a nice overview of what is generally accepted about energy and it's place on earth.
November 10, 2014
Different time and science concepts support gratitude towards natural resources that takes millions of years to make. Not only we learn about fossils and earth, we get to think about our ways of taking actions for our earth.
I gather books about math concepts now and thinking..
"Millions and millions more years"
" millions and millions of years passed"
"150 million years ago"
"60 Million Years ago"
15 Thousand years ago
60 million years ago
150 million years ago."
"Very Very slowly over hundreds of thousands of years"
"Very very fast"
Such abstract time concepts may be related with "So What?" responses who don't think twice of natural earth resources..
I gather books about math concepts now and thinking..
"Millions and millions more years"
" millions and millions of years passed"
"150 million years ago"
"60 Million Years ago"
15 Thousand years ago
60 million years ago
150 million years ago."
"Very Very slowly over hundreds of thousands of years"
"Very very fast"
Such abstract time concepts may be related with "So What?" responses who don't think twice of natural earth resources..
April 27, 2017
If I could guarantee they'd actually read it, I'd send a copy to our current administration to learn from.
September 6, 2021
The illustrations are attractive and accessible. I love the little CO2 and O2 molocules everywhere! I think it's drawn and written in a way that will appeal to grade school kids. My kids weren't immediately drawn in as much as I wanted, but I haven't sat down to read it with my bigger kids--just the younger ones, who were bored and left me to finish the book by myself. Although I knew the material described in the book, I found myself understanding it in a slightly deeper way because of the great illustrations.
I definitely recommend this book to any parents and kids who enjoy science!
I definitely recommend this book to any parents and kids who enjoy science!
November 13, 2014
Everything needs energy in order to grow and we also need energy to run machines. This energy comes from the sun though it may be stored as fossil fuels underground. The fossil fuels have stored that energy inside them and it is released when they are burned. This book looks at how sunlight energy is stored in fossil fuels, explaining photosynthesis and the balance of oxygen on the planet. It speaks to the way that oxygen was first released to the atmosphere and the millions of years that it took to create fossil fuels. The book then informs readers about the impact of carbon dioxide on the planet and the resulting climate change. In the end, the book lets readers know that the choice for the future of the planet is theirs.
Bang worked with Chisholm, an award-winning MIT professor on the information in the book. Told from the point of view of the sun, the book takes a clear and scientific tone throughout, enhanced by the more personal point of view. The information is compellingly presented and interesting. The final pages of the book offer even more details about the fossil fuel process for those looking for more in-depth information.
Bang’s illustrations capture the information of graphs along with an artistic feel. She manages to keep it scientific but also speak to the wonder of the process and the beauty of the captured sunlight energy.
This fourth book in their Sunlight series continues the combination of science, beauty and natural wonder. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
Bang worked with Chisholm, an award-winning MIT professor on the information in the book. Told from the point of view of the sun, the book takes a clear and scientific tone throughout, enhanced by the more personal point of view. The information is compellingly presented and interesting. The final pages of the book offer even more details about the fossil fuel process for those looking for more in-depth information.
Bang’s illustrations capture the information of graphs along with an artistic feel. She manages to keep it scientific but also speak to the wonder of the process and the beauty of the captured sunlight energy.
This fourth book in their Sunlight series continues the combination of science, beauty and natural wonder. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
November 28, 2014
I was not drawn in as strongly to this book as I was Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas. Maybe it was the palette, maybe it's because I had been looking for a good book on plankton and hadn't been searching for a good book on CO2.
While reading I had a hard time remembering the sun was the narrator because Bang only kept a subtle visual presence on each spread. The little yellow dots in the fossil fuel areas was not quite enough to remind me sunlight was supposed to be a character. I liked the way Carolyn Fisher kept her Snowman narrator visually present throughout her presentation on how snow is made in The Snow Show, even when in vapor form.
Still, I like Bang & Chisolm's series, and this felt like a clear and even-handed description of how carbon emissions are related to climate.
While reading I had a hard time remembering the sun was the narrator because Bang only kept a subtle visual presence on each spread. The little yellow dots in the fossil fuel areas was not quite enough to remind me sunlight was supposed to be a character. I liked the way Carolyn Fisher kept her Snowman narrator visually present throughout her presentation on how snow is made in The Snow Show, even when in vapor form.
Still, I like Bang & Chisolm's series, and this felt like a clear and even-handed description of how carbon emissions are related to climate.
October 2, 2018
I told my future-paleontologist six-year-old that petroleum jelly came from dead dinosaurs. I know this is not completely true, but it did spark her interest in fossil fuels. I generally find my local public library to be pretty well stocked, but in the whole system I only came up with three children's books on the subject. Just three!!! I ordered all of them. The other two were... meh. This one was great.
It was well written (although sometimes I'd forget that the book was being narrated by the sun and get confused for a bit.) I have a pretty solid science background, but I still learned a new concept or two. This book does an excellent job of taking big, complicated scientific ideas and distilling them into a story easy enough to be understood by children. The more detailed notes at the end give a taste of how much was left out.
I admired how carefully this book was able to convey the gravity of global warming without being alarmist. Instead of a pessimistic doomsday picture, this book felt like an invitation to learn more and problem solve--which is exactly what we need to inspire.
It was well written (although sometimes I'd forget that the book was being narrated by the sun and get confused for a bit.) I have a pretty solid science background, but I still learned a new concept or two. This book does an excellent job of taking big, complicated scientific ideas and distilling them into a story easy enough to be understood by children. The more detailed notes at the end give a taste of how much was left out.
I admired how carefully this book was able to convey the gravity of global warming without being alarmist. Instead of a pessimistic doomsday picture, this book felt like an invitation to learn more and problem solve--which is exactly what we need to inspire.
February 28, 2015
Bookshelf Entry #2
Non-Fiction-”Buried Sunlight”: Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm
Fiction: “Luz sees the light” by Claudia Davila
This book is about how fossil fuels have changed the earth and how the earth will continue to change if we continue doing what we are doing. It describes how when burning fossil fuels, humans use these ancient buried fuels, which allow for the use of oxygen but it also emits Carbon Dioxide into the air, which over time can be dangerous. A reason I liked this book is because it asks questions about the book to engage the readers, like “Do you think animals will be able to adapt to these rapid changes”? I twinned this nonfiction book, with the fiction book called “Luz sees the light,” by Claudia Davila and I paired it with this book because this book is about Luz, a 12 year old girl, realizes that the world is ever changing and she needs to be up with the times. She decides to turn a run-down part of town, into a garden and starts to grow her own vegetables and live off of the earth, instead of abusing it.
Non-Fiction-”Buried Sunlight”: Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm
Fiction: “Luz sees the light” by Claudia Davila
This book is about how fossil fuels have changed the earth and how the earth will continue to change if we continue doing what we are doing. It describes how when burning fossil fuels, humans use these ancient buried fuels, which allow for the use of oxygen but it also emits Carbon Dioxide into the air, which over time can be dangerous. A reason I liked this book is because it asks questions about the book to engage the readers, like “Do you think animals will be able to adapt to these rapid changes”? I twinned this nonfiction book, with the fiction book called “Luz sees the light,” by Claudia Davila and I paired it with this book because this book is about Luz, a 12 year old girl, realizes that the world is ever changing and she needs to be up with the times. She decides to turn a run-down part of town, into a garden and starts to grow her own vegetables and live off of the earth, instead of abusing it.
December 8, 2014
I've enjoyed--and learned a lot from--each of the titles in The Sunlight series. This one was no exception to that rule as the text and luminous and sumptuously detailed illustrations make very clear just how important the sun is to our planet. The sun narrates the book, explaining how fossil fuels were formed and how quickly humans have depleted them. While many might argue that there needs to be no worry about this rapid consumption since the planet has endured extreme temperatures in the past, the authors point out that those changes took place over long periods of time while recent changes in the environment, including extreme weather conditions and rising temperatures causing glacial melting, are occurring rapidly. The book is certain to prompt conversations and contemplation about this planet's future. This one is essential for a science classroom, partly because it makes science so accessible.
October 16, 2014
A picture book for older readers to explain how fossil fuels were created and what happens when they are used. The discussion about the fossil fuels changing the earth=global warming / climate change. The author includes notes with more information at the end. These notes can be helpful for adults to further explain to younger children and for upper elementary readers to read on their own. The conclusion conveys the author's feelings about climate change (at least in my opinion) although she says "the choice is yours."
The illustrations were a little busy in showing sunlight and the carbon chains, particularly the two-page spread showing the cycle of life.
While this book can be useful for teachers, there is no bibliography or comment from the author about her resources. Demerits for lack of that info.
The illustrations were a little busy in showing sunlight and the carbon chains, particularly the two-page spread showing the cycle of life.
While this book can be useful for teachers, there is no bibliography or comment from the author about her resources. Demerits for lack of that info.
March 26, 2015
A survey of everything from photosynthesis to respiration to fossil fuel formation to global warming.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it does a great job of accurately explaining photosynthesis in simple terms. It does a good job also of breaking down various scientific theories about the original earth atmosphere and formation of fossil fuels. However, one of my pet peeves is when science books for kids relate theories as facts. This one does that on several points. It relates the THEORIES of the original earth atmosphere, etc. but states them like facts and that's just not a good example of good science.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it does a great job of accurately explaining photosynthesis in simple terms. It does a good job also of breaking down various scientific theories about the original earth atmosphere and formation of fossil fuels. However, one of my pet peeves is when science books for kids relate theories as facts. This one does that on several points. It relates the THEORIES of the original earth atmosphere, etc. but states them like facts and that's just not a good example of good science.
October 31, 2014
Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed The Earth written by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm with illustrations by Molly Bang is a must read. The only way we can become sincere stewards of our Earth is through greater understanding. This title fills our need to know building a bridge from the science community to younger readers. But rest assured everyone can benefit from reading this book. Extensive author notes over six pages give additional information.
My full recommendation: http://bit.ly/100n9Gy
My full recommendation: http://bit.ly/100n9Gy
January 24, 2015
Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth is an amazing book which makes complex material easy to understand for younger children. Molly Bang again has written a book with Penny Chisholm and added her revealing illustrations to explain the history of fossil fuels and our environmental future is we do not find other sources of energy. There were scientific details that as an adult, I did not know. The clear and easy explanation of a complicated subject will engage all ages of readers!
June 10, 2015
This 4th installment of the Sunlight series explores how fossil fuels formed, are mined, used for energy and the consequences of that use. With the sun as narrator, special attention is paid to the balance between plant life, animal life and the atmosphere and the dangers of two much Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. Accessible language and detailed colorful illustrations come together to give a clear picture of fossil fuels perfect for the classroom or shared reading. Highly Recommended for all libraries.
October 12, 2014
Though this is a picture book it is best suited for 3rd - 5th graders. The sun narrates the text, explaining the energy created by the sun, how fossil fuels have developed over millions of years, and how humans today are depleting the fossil fuels at an alarming rate. The text also explains why people should care about the fossil fuels. At the back of the book are more details about the issues raised in the text in a Q&A format.
January 4, 2015
Wow! A concise summation of energy, fossil fuels, and the problems of carbon emission and global warming. Measured, but dynamic. And the pictures are so inspired, so much about light and earth. The interplay of gold, and orange and blue and green is stupendous. The nonfiction books released in 2014 are just so inspired. Far more so than the fiction. Really hoping something nonfiction wins the Caldecott this year.
January 19, 2015
folk style illustrations throughout and conversational tone in the first half explain how sunlight turns in to fossil fuels. There is a big disconnect between the 2 halves of the book, the science seems too easy in the first and too hard in the second half. Lack of bib or sources is also a problem.
October 21, 2014
This is a great science picture book about fossil fuels and global warming. My 8 year old was so excited about the book that he said it should be given to every person on the planet and translated into every language. It is a beautiful book and the science is spot on. Using the sun as a narrator was smart too, it keeps things neutral politically.
November 17, 2014
This is an easy to read and understand book about how fossil fuels are made and how they are used. It is narrated by the sun and does a great job describing the processes used to create fossil fuels. It is also a good call to action for young readers who are interested in global warming and its effects.
July 11, 2015
An informative picture book that sheds light (it's told from the sun's point of view) on fossil fuels and our carbon footprint. The information is made more accessible through the illustrations. The dire fate of the earth is driven home, and a call to action and alternate energy choices are offered.
July 12, 2015
"I am your sun, your golden star... My energy gives light and life to your tiny Earth."
Wow ... a complex subject is written in such a way that students can understand. Additional information in the back of the book to give more in-depth information for students who are ready for it.
Interesting choice to have the sun narrate the story. The illustrations are vibrant.
Wow ... a complex subject is written in such a way that students can understand. Additional information in the back of the book to give more in-depth information for students who are ready for it.
Interesting choice to have the sun narrate the story. The illustrations are vibrant.
July 6, 2014
Another astonishingly beautiful AND wonderfully informative book in this series. I especially appreciate the way the topic is discussed with young readers. I read this in galley and am eager for the finished copy. Outstanding.
December 5, 2014
Visually, this is gorgeous. Topically, it's timely and well-explained for young folks. I enjoyed the entire series. This is a fine introduction to a science unit at the middle school level and also works for younger students as well.
December 9, 2014
Probably one of the few children's book that is actually scientific and goes into depth about evolution and climate change. However the pictures were lackluster and the science even though dumbed down can be confusing in places.
Could have been great, settle for mediocrity.
Could have been great, settle for mediocrity.
December 20, 2014
This is a picture book that is successful in making a complex topic easy to understand, and Molly Bang's gorgeous artwork takes it over the top. It is a perfect nonfiction source for third grade researchers.
December 30, 2014
This is a gorgeous picture book about the formation of fossil fuels. It has gorgeous pictures and some graphical features to illustrate points. There is also section of author's notes in the back to explain some points in greater detail. Very interesting.
December 31, 2014
At different times in this book, it seemed like the authors were taking different sides to the global warming debate. That's confusing enough for me, let alone kids who are meant to read this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews