On Time - Hardcover

Gloria Skurzynski has written more than 30 children’s books. Her nonfiction book, Almost the Real Thing, won the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. She has written several nonfiction books for National Geographic including Are We Alone, an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Young People and an IRA/CBC Young Adults’ Choice for 2006. She lives in Boise, ID. Visit Gloria Skurzynski at her Web site: www.gloriabooks.com.

Grade 4-7-This attractive offering is brimming with information about time and timekeeping, from seasons, years, and time zones to pendulums, hourglasses, and femtoseconds. The conversational tone helps readers get through the more difficult concepts, such as looking backward into deep time and deep space. Readers get a historical glimpse at the Tower of Winds, a laborious water clock built in Greece in 50 B.C. and Christopher Columbus's clever use of a lunar eclipse to win over the Haitian natives. Although the traditional "B.C." and "A.D." divisions are discussed, the more current "B.C.E." and "C.E." are not mentioned. The fact that hours, weeks, and months are man-made divisions is clearly explained. Skurzynski states that our January 1, 2000 occurs during the Hebrew year 5760 and the Islamic year 1420 A.H. The book is heavily illustrated with full-color drawings, photographs, and diagrams. It could be paired with Gillian Chapman's excellent Exploring Time (Millbrook, 1995), which offers related activities. On Time will find audiences with report writers and pleasure readers, as well as their teachers.
Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
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