I Am Light

Book Details

Genre & Age: Informational fiction picture book (ages 6+)
Format: Hardcover, 40 pages, 8.5″ x 11″
Publisher: Tilbury House (Cherry Lake Publishing Group)
ISBN: 978-0884489634

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Little Red Cuttlefish Goodreads Reviews

What does every living thing on the planet depend on? Weighing nothing and zooming as fast as 186,000 miles per second? Light, of course! Told in lyrical, riddling first-person narrative, Light boasts of its essential role in life as we know it–from fueling the wheel of life to humans’ celebration of it as the year turns. Back matter about the science of light and major historical discoveries enhances the book for STEM learning. I Am Light is lushly illustrated by Merce Lopez, the award-winning artist of the acclaimed I Am Smoke.

What People Are Saying

“As with their I Am Smoke and I Am Gravity, in I Am Light, Henry Herz and Mercè López once more take a difficult-to-describe/difficult-to-illustrate scientific concept, give it a voice, and somehow make it personable. You’ll gain a wider appreciation for Light than you ever had before—and you’ll almost hear Light reply, “Good.”
– Ame Dyckman, NY Times bestselling author

“I Am Light introduces children to the mysteries of light with a text that is simultaneously scientific and poetic. A marvelous accomplishment!”
– Bruce Coville, beloved author of over 100 books for children

“Light takes center stage, illuminating its prodigious accomplishments, in this savvy picture book packed with cool science for curious kids.”
– Patricia Newman, Sibert Honor author

Book trailer video

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. This eloquent, elegant testimonial offers much to engage heads as well as hearts. “Until the stars dim, I show the way. I AM LIGHT.”
– Kirkus Reviews

2026 Appearances

San Diego County Office of Education’s STEAM Author & Illustrator Showcase (March 2, San Diego, CA)
Book signing at Mysterious Galaxy Books with author Dee Leone (Mar 21, 3555 Rosecrans St. #107, San Diego, CA)
Wondercon (Mar 28-29, Anaheim Convention Center)
Gaithersburg Book Festival (May 16, Gaithersburg, MD)
San Diego Comic-Con (Jul 24-26, San Diego Convention Center)
Bubonicon (Aug 21-23, Albuquerque, NM)
WorldCon (Aug 27-31, Anaheim, CA)
DragonCon (Sep 3-7, Atlanta, GA)
Central Coast Writers’ Conference (Sept 25-26, San Luis Obispo, CA)
World Fantasy Con (Oct 22-25, Oakland, CA)