*Attentive young Lynn relishes the “dark crystal waters” of the swimming hole and treasures of
“the light-dappled forest” of Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains. She spends summers exploring the woods from a family cabin there, though the Park Service is now displacing park residents. Curiosity about a striking synchronous firefly phenomenon—a hypnotizing six-second “spangled beat” that has mesmerized her her whole life—leads self-taught naturalist Lynn Frierson Faust down a long and rewarding research path that eventually proves these special lightning bugs’ (Photinus carolinus) existence to the scientific community and invites the world to appreciate their wonder. Immersive watercolor-and-digital paintings create a world readers will long to get lost within, with moss clinging to hulking boulders and the shimmer of countless fireflies lighting up the darkening sky. A notable variety in perspectives and page layouts includes panels and lush full-page spreads, while a brilliantly designed rendering of the “exquisite unity of the light show fireflies” interspersed with swaths of darkness is a visual showstopper. Evocative language keeps pace, pairing admiring details about Lynn’s patient work with pleasingly detailed descriptors of her environs: “Light cascades down the hillside, like a glittering, star-filled waterfall.” Rich back matter demonstrates thorough research and supports young naturalists’ continued curiosity. An absolute must-purchase—truly enlightening and positively radiant.

– Boklist, STARRED Review, 05/01/2025

*A piece of summer magic helps inform a scientific discovery.

Lynn Frierson Faust spent childhood summers with her family in Elkmont, Tennessee, a region situated within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There, her family gathered in the summer dark to watch as fireflies lit up the forest in harmony (“Blink! Shine! Twinkle! Pop! Flash!”) before blinking back into darkness. As she grew older, Lynn sought more information about this phenomenon. She consulted the park rangers, the University of Tennessee, the public library—but no one seemed to know about her synchronously flashing fireflies. Finally, she found a biologist who was intrigued by the musical score she’d composed to represent the way the fireflies flashed together. The scientific process of documentation and research took years before the confirmation of Photinus carolinus, “the first documented case of synchronous fireflies in the entire Western Hemisphere.” Paeff succinctly captures the patience and detailed work involved in this kind of study while keeping the sense of wonder in focus. Kim’s painterly art perfectly conveys the deep, leafy green of the forest in summer and the splashes and sparks of light from these bioluminescent creatures. Lynn was white; background characters vary in skin tone.

A wonderful tribute to a citizen scientist who harnessed the power of observation and discovery. (more information, firefly facts, bibliography, author’s note) (Informational picture book. 5-9)

– Kirkus, STARRED Review, 05/15/2025