Reviews
Living Light: Conserving Bioluminescent Plants and Animals
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – October, 2024 “A glimpse into the glorious natural world of fireflies, jellyfish and plankton. Aitken sharing personal experiences, offers just the right amount of accessibility in this remarkable book…very attractive as well as informative…a great resource.”
BOOKLIST. – November, 2024 “There she glows! In this detailed offering, Aitken weaves personal experiences into scientific research on the role of bioluminescence in plants and animals … A final chapter focuses on protecting these fragile beings, such as by ending deep-sea mining and creating bioluminescent art. Enlightening, indeed!”
CANADIAN REVIEW OF MATERIALS – Nov., 2024 Biologist author Stephen Aitken’s passion for the book’s subject is most evident in the writing. He explains how various animals make light and the purposes of their light: to communicate, attract prey, feed, reproduce and defend themselves. a well-written book, takes it to the next level. Highly engaging! Highly Recommended!
Saving the Night: How Light Pollution is Harming Life on Earth
BOOKLIST – JAN.2023 “One of Aitken’s strong points is his ability to make statements about broad concerns and back them up with several pertinent
examples, showing how particular animals or plants are threatened by artificial lighting in specific ways. One of the few children’s books focused on light pollution, this organized, involving book will fill a gap in many library collections.“
THE NATURE GENERATION – Shortlisted for the 2023 Green Earth Book Award under the Children’s Non-fiction (up to 12 years) category.
SalsFictionAddiction review – June, 2023 “quite fascinating… Readers come away from the reading more fully informed.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – March, 2023 “Multi-talented science writer, artist, and biologist Aitken…is skilled at outlining the delicate relationship between plants and animals and the day/night cycle. (He) urges his readers to be unafraid of the dark and after reading this excellent book, tweens will want to venture forth into the night without a flashlight. His portrayal of life in darkness is richly described and alluring.”
CANADIAN REVIEW OF MATERIALS – Dec. 2022 “Aitken is on both personal crusade and scientific research...a call to action…a very comprehensive look at the role of light in the natural world and the effect of light pollution on all living organisms. This book deserves to be available and promoted in schools and libraries. Saving the night for all of us is worth it.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS – March 2023 “Aitken notes that many wild creatures are confused by increased levels of nighttime illumination — after all, as he states, half of all invertebrates, 3 out of 4 mammals, and nearly all amphibians are nocturnal.…flashes on a too often unconsidered sort of environmental pollution“
Listen Up! Exploring the World of Natural Sound
THE NATURE GENERATION – Shortlisted for the 2022 Green Earth Book Award under the Children’s Non-fiction (up to 12 years) category.
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE REVIEW (CLCD) – 2022 “A great tool for making connections between science and music, as well as how concepts like listening and conservation apply to sounds in nature. Highly recommended.”
BOOKLIST – Sept. 2022 – “Written in first person, the text engages readers by bringing together a series of interesting facts and ideas related to animal hearing. Aitken encourages readers to tune into the soundscape of nature. An intriguing addition to the Orca Footprints series.“