What is time? This question, asked nearly fifty years ago by author Beth Gleick’s young son, prompted her to answer in a picture book for preschoolers, using simple language and familiar scenes: “In one second, you can bounce a ball, or jump, or say hello, or turn a page.”
Beth Gleick’s clean turn of phrase cleverly explains the passing of seconds, minutes, hours, on up through seasons and years. First published in 1960, this book is lovingly re-illustrated by collage-artist Marthe Jocelyn, who pays homage to the original art while simultaneously creating a world of her own, cutting patterned papers and printed fabrics with whimsy, ingenuity, and precision of, yes, time. . . .
PreS-Gr 1
Gleick successfully answers the age-old question, "What is time?" in this newly illustrated easy reader originally published in 1960. Breaking down time into all of its components, the author explains each one, using events that children face daily. "In one hour, you can paint a picture or build a make-believe city." The story then builds upon each part of time as it is woven back together to make up the four seasons, explaining that a year is the time between one birthday and the next-a concept readers are sure to grasp. Jocelyn's illustrations give this account a fresh look with multicultural characters and digital clocks while still keeping an old-fashioned, nostalgic feel in the paper and fabric collages, which have bright colors and fun, busy patterns. The simple, lyrical text has a timeless quality that works well as a read-aloud and is still easy enough for beginning readers to work out on their own. There are many books for young children that talk about how to tell time, but few discuss the overall concept as effectively as this one.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY
Overview
What is time? This question, asked nearly fifty years ago by author Beth Gleick’s young son, prompted her to answer in a picture book for preschoolers, using simple language and familiar scenes: “In one second, you can bounce a ball, or jump, or say hello, or turn a page.”
Beth Gleick’s clean turn of phrase cleverly explains the passing of seconds, minutes, hours, on up through seasons and years. First published in 1960, this book is lovingly re-illustrated by collage-artist ...