Writing in first person from the point of view of light itself (“I spin the wheel of life”), Herz compares his subject to a rolling marble and an ocean wave. With nods to X-rays, radio waves, and other forms of “traveling energy,” he describes the topic first in simple terms and then in greater detail in a follow-up section. Light illuminates everything earthly and astronomical. Moreover, Herz goes on, light has been long cherished as a symbol of a “guiding presence,” glowing atop candles and in places of worship as a reminder “that there is something greater out there.” Using long-exposure photo shoots, López once more finds an inspired way to depict the physical phenomena that the author personifies in his two-tiered explanatory narratives. Her artwork has impressionistic elements, depicting a pair of tan-skinned children and a sometimes-animate plush bunny as they celebrate sunbeams and a rainbow, gaze into mirrors, swish in a pool to show how light bends in water, and point to the nighttime sky. Despite a bit of poetic license in the claim that all living things depend on light (since there are some dark-dwelling creatures that don’t), this eloquent, elegant testimonial offers much to engage heads as well as hearts. “Until the stars dim, I show the way. I AM LIGHT.”
