LS 5603 Nonfiction - Optical Illusions

Bibliographic Data:
Simon, Seymour. 1998 (1976). Now You See It, Now You Don't: The Amazing World of Optical Illusions. New York: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 0688161529

Plot Summary:
Originally published in 1976 as The Optical Illusion Book, Simon details the science behind our eyes and why we see optical illusions.

Critical Analysis:
Although some of the illustrations in Now You See It, Now You Don't: The Amazing World of Optical Illusions are somewhat dated, the information is still interesting and intriguing. Simon, a former science teacher, goes into simple details of the parts of the eye, how they work, and why we may or may not see certain things. I found it particularly interesting that people with no prior knowledge of two dimensional perspective (think railroad tracks in a painting getting smaller as they are farther away) did not get tricked by certain illusions.

Many images are ones that have been used for years in art and psychology classes. The black and white vase that can also be two faces is included, as well as the young woman or old witch (depending on your perspective) illustration. But more interesting are the slick color pages found in the center of the book; the most unusual is a photograph of two children, one quite small and the other very large. The illusion, the book tells, is created by a room constructed with a high ceiling on one side and a low ceiling on the other.

There are dozens of activities that are simple for children to do playing with color and light to create illusions themselves. This is a good introduction to a fun topic that also teaches children about the science of the eye in a way that can excite. It is no wonder that it was republished after so many years.

Review Excerpts:
Booklist "One of the clearest and most interesting discussions of optical illusions ever written for children, this was first published in 1976 as The Optical Illusion Book. The new format allows space to increase the size of the illustrations, making them clearer and more effective. Though the text of the new edition remains substantially the same, improvements to the volume include a more attractive book design and more dynamic jacket."

The Horn Book "Fascinating because it has so much for the reader to do and to try."

Connections:
There are many other optical illusion books to look for.
Seeing Double by J. Richard Block (2002)
The Mighty Big Book of Optical Illusions by Craig Yoe
Amazing Optical Illusions by IllusionWorks

There are also artists that work in illusions and impossible objects.
M. C. Escher http://www.mcescher.com/
Rob Gonsalves http://www.sapergalleries.com/Gonsalves.html
Julian Beever http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm