I'm a Photon - (Meet the Universe) by Eve M Vavagiakis (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Photons are everywhere, from the twinkling of stars to the heat from our own breath. Here is an illuminating intro to these versatile light particles, sure to spark the imaginations of curious young scientists.

Fascinating photons make up light, from X-rays and microwaves to the colors of the rainbow. Scientists use tiny photons to study and create things big and small, like using a precise laser in an experiment or learning about the origins of the universe itself. Complex concepts are presented in a fun and readable style as physicist Dr. Eve Vavagiakis shines a light on these unique elementary particles and the many ways they appear and behave. Readers are invited to imagine harnessing the power of photons, perhaps by observing distant stars through a telescope or building a quantum computer! Energetic illustrations and catchy rhymes sparkle in this latest entry in the STEM-tastic Meet the Universe series. Back matter includes a "Know Your Photons" section that expands on concepts introduced in the text.

Review Quotes

Vavagiakis has taken advanced physics concepts and made them approachable through rhyming text and kid-friendly language. . . . Watercolor and gouache illustrations capture the curiosity and delight of the children as photons demonstrate their speed, show the range of light across the electromagnetic spectrum, and introduce some of the cutting-edge research in the field.
--School Library Journal (starred review)

Avid science fans and those who are interested in space are the best audience for this attractive book.
--Booklist

About the Author

Dr. Eve M. Vavagiakis is an assistant professor at Duke University. A childhood space enthusiast, she now works in experimental cosmology as part of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, CCAT-prime, CMB-S4, and Simons Observatory collaborations to build instrumentation and study the oldest light in the universe. She also codirects the high-energy physics blog ParticleBites and is the author of the other titles in the Meet the Universe series, I'm a Neutrino and I'm a Black Hole. Dr. Eve M. Vavagiakis lives in North Carolina.

Mike Malbrough is the author-illustrator of Marigold Bakes a Cake and the illustrator of the Warren & Dragon series by Ariel Bernstein and What Does Grief Feel Like by Korie Leigh. Mike Marlbrough lives in New Jersey.