The Queen’s Shadow: A Story About How Animals See, by Cybèle Young(Mar. 2015, Kids Can Press) $18.95, ISBN: 9781894786607
Recommended for ages 6-10
The Queen throws a fabulous royal ball, with food and entertainment, and society guests aplenty. All of a sudden, the lights go out! When the lights go back on, the Queen shrieks – someone has stolen her shadow! As she interrogates each of her animal guests, we learn exactly why they couldn’t have stolen the shadow – and each reason has to do with the ability to see.
First things first – the look of this book is just beautiful. The pen and ink illustrations have a classic feel, and the use of black and white paired with bright colors (via Photoshop) makes for stunning images with incredible depth.
Putting the science of vision in the context of a whodunit is such a great approach to storytelling. Kids will love the mystery that links the different animals’ stories together, and this unique approach to non-fiction/fiction storytelling will stick with them. This is a great choice for science classes and ELA alike. Children can expand on the story by thinking of additional animals, and whether or not they would be suspects (bring in some art for that one, break out the pencils and crayons!).
Mom Read It 