Can You Get Rainbows in Space?

Both the curious title and the colourful cover of this hardback book hooked me in from the start! Then the layout of the text is quite original: each chapter covering one of the seven colours of the rainbow. Author and planetary physicist Sheila Kanani is also an experienced educator, her scientific knowledge and presenting skills shine through the book.

By the time I had finished reading the Introduction I had already learned about visible light, light from the sun, waves and colour blindness. How interesting to learn that ‘Reindeer, birds, bees and fish can see in ultraviolet, and snakes, frogs and insects can see infrared!’ (p.11.)  I could not believe how many of my questions were being clearly answered as I read through the book.

Not only is the scientific information broken down into manageable chunks, but various facts about the different colours are clearly laid out in text boxes or similar. It was fascinating to hear that, ‘Green has been known to represent wealth, which is why some countries, like the USA, have green-coloured money.’ (p.52.)

The penultimate chapter answers the question in the book’s title, ‘So, Can You Get Rainbows in Space?’ and I will not spoil the climax of this volume by enlightening you! The inclusion of a detailed glossary in the final chapter is helpful for those readers needing clarification of terms used. Whilst this book is considered ideal for students aged 8-10 years, it is a treasure trove for much older readers too.

Both Sheila Kanani and the illustrator Liz Kay are to be congratulated on producing such an absorbing and enjoyable read. The attractive illustrations reinforce the straightforward and lucid text. Puffin has produced an excellent non-fiction volume which young people will not be able to put down.