Gr 2-4 The sun narrates this book about the slow creation but relatively quick depletion of fossil fuels, or "buried sunlight." Sounding like a father advising a child, the sun explains that while the Earth has always undergone periods of heating and cooling, those changes happened gradually, giving time for the species inhabiting the planet to adjust. Now humankind is burningliterallythrough fossil fuels at such a pace that an extraordinary amount of carbon dioxide has been released within a few hundred years, heating up the atmosphere at a very rapid rate. Unless we find ways to use fossil fuels more discriminately and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide enveloping the earth, the climate will continue to destabilize with increasingly serious consequences. The sun ends by saying, "The choice is yours." While the audience deserves a straightforward discussion of environmental issues, a statement like this, especially when made to children, should be followed by empowering suggestions for action. A concluding section elaborates on points made in the main text, but the solutions listed—solar energy, nuclear energy—are beyond the reach of kids. Other than this criticism, the book is a solid resource of digestible information about our planet's past, present, and future. Bang's beautiful illustrations have a folk-art style and are saturated with deep blues and rich greens. An important, thought-provoking look at the growing environmental crisis.— Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

Bang and Chisholm explain the production and consumption of fossil fuels, along with the consequences of all that energy use: climate change. The sun serves as narrator describing the relationship between photosynthesis (plants) and respiration (animals) and energy; a slight imbalance produces fossil fuels. Bang's illustrations brilliantly represent the chemistry: bright yellow dots of energy against a deep-blue background hover over their producers.

Starred Review This handsome picture book opens with a cutaway view of the earth showing buried fossil fuels (coal, gas, and oil) as glowing bits of "buried sunlight," while above ground, electric lights illuminate cities, and stars blaze in the night sky. The sun addresses readers, explaining photosynthesis and how a slight imbalance in the cycle of life on earth led to the formation of oxygen in the water and air as well as fossil fuels buried under land and sea. After describing the formation of those fuels over many millions of years, the sun reflects on how the burning of that buried sunlight over a few hundred years has put more carbon dioxide into earth's atmosphere and, increasingly, warmed its land and seas. Six appended pages offer more detail on the topics presented. As in the Living Sunlight (2009) and Ocean Sunlight (2012), Bang's expertise and creativity in making picture books are well matched with Chisholm's solid grasp of science. Every element in the complex, beautiful illustrations supports the informative text, which offers a welcome, long-term perspective on the subject. Combining an amiable voice with unusual breadth of vision, depth of knowledge, and subtlety of presentation, this is a masterful book in a highly original science series.