Amy's Light
Kindergarten-Grade 2—Using enhanced photographs of his daughter enacting the story line, Nutt tells of a girl named Amy who becomes scared of the dark until she sneaks outside to capture some fireflies in a jar. Their light dims in captivity; no longer afraid but fearful for their safety, she sets them free. Alongside each spread of beautifully rendered photo-illustrations are four lines of insipid and predictable verse. With such lines as "Jumping for joy,/Amy watched with delight,/as they flickered and flickered/and flew out of sight," the narrative becomes secondary to the visuals. While this is ostensibly a book about the wonders of nature, the technology that created the images takes center stage. This jarring contradiction is reinforced by an announcement on the cover that there is a Flash video download available of the story.—Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.