Together with Lumi, the curious ray of light, readers discover the fascinating world of light. (Illustration: Coline Weinzäpflen)
How do you explain to children that light means life? Lumi’s Delight explores this question in a playful and imaginative way. The comic follows Lumi, a curious ray of light, on its journey from the Sun to the Earth. Along the way, Lumi discovers how daylight helps plants grow, guides animals, and keeps even the tiniest organisms in tune with the rhythm of the Sun.
This imaginative comic is also a scientific outreach project with an educational mission. Lumi’s Delight is aimed at children aged six to ten – and at all adults who have remained young at heart and curious about the world. In an engaging and accessible way, the book introduces the science behind light, photosynthesis, and circadian rhythms, showing how closely life on Earth is connected to the Sun and its energy.
The idea for the book was developed within the TUM Researcher Program, a qualification program at the Technical University of Munich that prepares researchers for responsible leadership roles. Coline Weinzäpflen wrote and illustrated the story, supported by a dedicated team of early-career researchers who also served as editors: Dr. Anna M. Biller, Dr. Alejandra Parreño, Dr. Simone Stegbauer, Dr. Verena Streibel, and Dr. Matthew The.
The project was funded by the Daylight Academy, CRC 325, and the Excellence Cluster e-conversion. With this partnership, we aim to nurture curiosity, scientific thinking, and an understanding of natural phenomena among young readers – inspiring the researchers of tomorrow in a playful way.
Lumi’s Delight is freely available in three languages – English, German, and French.