Shadow Magic

By Seymour Simon

Shadow Magic is a book for children that talks about shadows and how they are made.  The author begins by getting readers to think about the "dark spots" on a sunny day that we call shadows.  Readers become engaged in the book by participating in the activities the author suggests, such as making shadows with different objects and comparing the darkness of each shadow.  The author then explains what shadows are and gives many ideas for activities the reader can do involving shadows.

The layout of the book is logical, beginning with an introduction of shadows, explaining how and why they exist, then concluding with a series of experiments the reader can become involved in to learn more about shadows.  Appropriate illustrations are provided, and some of them offer readers an opportunity to match objects to their shadow.  The illustrations complement the text well by demonstrating the shadows created by different objects, and showing how shadows can be used to tell time.  The writing is clear and seems appropriate for young children to follow and understand.  The writing encourages curiosity and critical thinking by asking lots of questions of the readers and providing opportunities for readers to apply what they have learned.

Shadow Magic is a well-organized, thought-provoking book for young readers.  Older readers might find the wording too simple, although the concepts are interesting.  The book is lacking a table of contents and index to help readers locate specific information.  However, the information seems complete with easy to follow instructions for activities suggested by the author.