What Makes a Shadow, written by Clyde Robert Bulla and illustrated by June Otani, is a part of the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science book series that explains the simple and easily observable scientific concept of shadows for young children. The book begins by identifying and defining shadows and broadens by explaining what makes shadows, why some shadows are different than others, and where we see shadows everyday without even realizing it.
“The sun…shines on you. But the sun does not shine through you. There is a dark place behind you where the sun does not shine. The darkness is your shadow.”
“Sometimes the sky is dark with clouds…The shadows make the day dark. We say, “This is a cloudy day.”
“Watch the sun go down. Watch the night come. Night is a shadow.”
Curriculum Connections
What Makes a Shadow? is a great book for introducing the concept of shadows for the kindergarten curriculum (Virginia SOL K.7a). The book broadens from the simple observation of a child’s shadow following behind him or her on a sunny day to more abstract observations such as the darkness of the sky on a cloudy day and the darkness of night. Not only are readers presented with a definition of shadows, but they also are given the opportunity to observe how shadows change based upon the distance of the object from the light as well as the amount of light that shines through the object.
Additional Resources
- This is a fun, live performance of a hand puppet artist creating different images on a large screen accompanied by the music of Louis Armstrong.
- This is a simple, interactive poem about shadows. Students can either read it themselves or listen as the computer reads it to them.
- This is an interactive java applet with shadows. Move the images and/or the light bulb and see how the shadow changes.
- This interactive day and night webquest teaches students how day and night are created as the Earth turns. Students can read the text or have it read to them as they follow the directions of the text.
Book: What Makes a Shadow?
Author: Clyde Robert Bulla
Illustrator: June Otani
Publisher: Collins, Rev Sub edition
Publication Date: 1994
Pages: 32
Grade Range: K-3
ISBN: 0060229160