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Can You Get Rainbows in Space?

Book Synopsis

A colourful compendium of space and science.

Why is blood red? Why are carrots orange? Who invented the lightbulb? Why is the world ‘going green’? Is the sky really blue? And what is ultraviolet light?

You’ll discover the answers to these questions – and many more – in this incredible collection of scientific facts about colour. We’ll talk about light (the most important thing) and waves (not the kind you see at the beach – though you will learn why the sea looks blue!). You’ll find out how some animals are able to glow in the dark and how others change their colours to hide from predators.

Keep reading to discover why leaves change colour in the autumn, why your veins look blue but your blood is red, and how the language we use shapes the colours we see . . .

And you’ll even be taught by a real astronomer, Dr Sheila Kanani, exactly how to make a rainbow – in space.

Our Review Panel says...

Have you ever wondered why frogs are green? Or if the sun is really yellow? Or maybe why the sea is blue? Well, this colourful science compendium suitable for KS2 may hold the answers!

Written by author and astronomer, Dr Sheila Kanani, this fascinating book starts by explaining what colour is and how we see it, before taking us on a journey of big colour questions. Each section is based on a colour of the rainbow (plus some added extras ‘beyond the rainbow’ such as black, white and fluorescent colours) and, after an introduction to that colour, asks five colour-based questions. Red, for example, explores why blood is red, why Mars is known as the red planet, why flamingos are pink, why some monkeys have red bottoms and why hippo’s sweat is red.

Each question is explained clearly, with lots of added information and ‘did you know’ sections to keep the reader engaged. This all leads to the big question of the book: Can you Get Rainbows in Space? As well as being a captivating read, it is the design, layout and illustrations that will get children picking up the book and delving in.

Unsurprisingly, in a book about colour, every spread is full of glorious images that celebrate each colour in turn. A feast for the eyes as well as the mind, I would highly recommend this engaging text for bookshelves in every school library.