WORLDS WITHIN PAGES BOOKS TO ENGAGE T H E WHOL E FAM I LY Learning to read opens up a world of possibilities. When your child walks through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia with Lucy Pevensie or rides with Harry Potter on the train to Hogwarts, they connect to something beyond their own experiences. In the U.S., April 23 is World Book Day, and the date commemorates the deaths of legendary authors Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as the birth of author Vladimir Nabokov. World Book Day is the perfect time to sit down with your family and let yourself be transported to new worlds. So, here are three great stories to help you take young readers on brand-new adventures. “Song of the Wild”makes a great read-aloud book for beginner readers because they can get lost in the beautiful artwork while you read the text. Written in prose and rhyming poems, this book showcases sprawling landscapes — savannahs, jungles, and oceans — and features the wildlife living there. It’s worth a read simply to appreciate the colorful depictions of each animal. This book was written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Petr Horácek. FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOLER: ‘THE NIGHT DIARY’ 12-year-old Nisha navigates her world after the partition of India creates the new country of Pakistan and her family is forced to leave their home. Her mother may be gone, but Nisha finds solace in writing nightly letters to her in her diary as she discovers what the future holds. Based on author Veera Hiranandani’s memories of her own family, this moving tale lets readers experience life through someone else’s eyes. FOR TEENS: ‘BRAZEN: REBEL LADIES WHO ROCKED THE WORLD’ While some might not think of comics as proper reading, Penelope Bagieu’s graphic novel forces reconsideration. Her clever, colorful artwork and engaging narrative take the reader through the biographies of 30 women, from Betty Davis and Mae Jemison to lesser-known but equally intriguing ladies like Giorgina Reid. All in all, this book provides a great way to get kids excited about history in an entertaining form. FOR THE ELEMENTARY READER: ‘SONG OF THE WILD: A FIRST BOOK OF ANIMALS’
The sun is the source of all solar power. The sun provides light and warmth to the Earth, making it possible for life to flourish on our planet’s surface. While we appreciate the sun and everything it does for us, there are many facts about our sun you might not know. THE SUN HAS LAYERS Similar to the Earth, the sun has multiple layers surrounding its core. The surface of the sun we can see (though should never directly look at) is called the photosphere. Underneath this outer layer is the convective zone, followed by the radiative zone beneath that, and finally the core. OUR MIDDLE-AGED SUN Astronomers believe that our solar system’s sun and eight planets were formed from the solar nebula some 4.6 billion years ago. This places our Sun in the middle of its life, with an estimated 4.5–5.5 billion years left to go. All stars go through a life cycle, starting with the solar nebula. From there, the sun goes through what’s called the “main sequence,”which refers to the star’s life. A star’s nuclear fusion reacts with its core of hydrogen, creating helium and thus solar power. As its helium center begins to deplete, the sun will get brighter and hotter, eventually becoming a red giant. HOW LARGE IS THE SUN? We all know the sun is large, but just how big is it? About one million Earths would fit into the Sun, and its surface is 11,990 times larger than Earth’s. However, relative to all the stars we’ve discovered, our sun is relatively small. The largest known star is a supergiant called VY Canis Majoris, which is nearly 2,100 times the size of the sun. THE HEAT OF THE SUN Beneath the sun’s surface, temperatures can reach about 15 million degrees Celsius or about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. Its surface can reach about 5,600 degrees Celsius or 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 4 FACTS ABOUT OUR SUN THE SOURCE OF POWER AND LIFE
It will take billions of years for our sun to complete its life cycle. For now, we’ll enjoy everything it has to offer!
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