T is for Time - Hardcover

Smith, Roland; Smith, Marie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585365122 ISBN 13: 9781585365128

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, 2015

Synopsis

T is for a Time Alphabet uses poetry and expository text to explore the concept of time, from explaining basic units of measurement to showcasing important scientific achievements. Topics include famous inventors (Albert Einstein and John Harrison) and important structures and landmarks (Kulkulkan Pyramid and Big Ben). Budding scientists will discover what world-famous stone structure is believed to be an early calendar, follow the voyages of explorer Ferdinand Magellan to better understand the International Date Line, and learn to tell time using the Zulu time system.

About this title

About the Authors

Roland Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of more than forty books for young people. Among his books are the I, Q series, Peak, Beneath, Above, Zach’s Lie, the Cryptid Hunters series, Storm Runners, The Switch, and Elephant Run. Before becoming a full-time writer, he spent more than twenty years working with wildlife all over the world. He was a zookeeper, zoo curator, assistant zoo director, and research biologist. He was instrumental in reintroducing the red wolf back into the wild, and he was a consultant on the Yellowstone National Park gray wolf translocation. Roland and his wife, Marie, split their time between Bentonville, Arkansas, and their small farm near Portland, Oregon.

Author Marie Smith was born and raised in Oregon. She lives on a small farm outside of Portland that she shares with a horse, a goat, two dogs, two cats, and another author, Roland Smith. Together Marie and Roland have written five alphabet books. Besides visiting schools and writing, she spends time traveling across country visiting her four grandsons.

Renée Graef and her children spent many of her birthdays walking the 990-foot breakwater to reach the Port Washington Lighthouse. She has illustrated over 80 books for children including T is for Time; D is for Dala Horse: A Nordic Countries Alphabet; the “Kirsten” books in the American Girl Collection; and many of the My First Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Renée splits her time between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles, California. Learn more about her work at www.reneegraef.com.

Reviews

Gr 2–5—This title offers an overview of concepts related to time, listed in alphabetical order: "A is for Almanac," "D is for Daylight Saving," "E is for Einstein," "G is for Greenwich Mean Time," and "K is for Kukulcan Pyramid." Accompanied by sweet, painterly illustrations that hark back to earlier eras, the entries begin with four-line rhymes and go on to clear, well-researched prose explanations, rendered in a fairly small typeface. These are simple and brief introductions to a mix of basic ideas (such as explanations of a week, a shadow, and the night sky) and much more challenging concepts (definitions of Zulu time and verge escapement). Other books in this series are geared to readers ages six to 10, but this title defies categorization: some content is straightforward, but much of it is too sophisticated for primary students. VERDICT An additional purchase where interest in time concepts is high.—Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, TX

Edition details

• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1585365122
• ISBN 13: 9781585365128
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Graef Renée
• Number of pages: 40