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81st out of 103 books
—
60 voters
Just a Second
What can happen in just a second,
a minute, or an hour? How can we measure time?
The flap of a vulture’s wing.
A crocodile’s heartbeat.
The weight of a baby blue whale.
The life of a mayfly.
These increments of time may sound a bit strange, but they are all fascinating ways in which we can think about time.
But what exactly is time?
In Just a Second, the award-winning author-illus...more
a minute, or an hour? How can we measure time?
The flap of a vulture’s wing.
A crocodile’s heartbeat.
The weight of a baby blue whale.
The life of a mayfly.
These increments of time may sound a bit strange, but they are all fascinating ways in which we can think about time.
But what exactly is time?
In Just a Second, the award-winning author-illus...more
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
October 25th 2011
by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
(first published October 2011)
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Awesome! I was quite pleasantly surprised by this book, as Jenkins addresses not only science-y trivia like the beats of a hummingbird's wings or a hamster's heart, but also a few more disquieting and mature facts, such as the rising of the oceans.
I must say I was also pleased to see Jenkins give a nod to the most invisible of creatures: the commercially raised chicken. 1,500 of them are killed each second.
I must say I was also pleased to see Jenkins give a nod to the most invisible of creatures: the commercially raised chicken. 1,500 of them are killed each second.
How long is a second? What could happen in a second? This book tells you about some of the interesting things that can all happen in less time than it takes to read the title of the book. For example, a "bumblebee beats its wings 200 times" or a "black mamba slithers a frightening 24 feet (7 meters)" in a second. Perhaps readers will find it interesting that "somewhere in the world, four babies are born (and two people die)" per second. The book then moves on to things that can happen in one min...more
I liked lots of aspects of this book. I liked the scope of the events measured, from natural to man-made; I liked how Jenkins distinguished between natural cycle time (day, month, year) and "created" time (second, minute, week). I liked that some of the measurements counted our impact on the world (forest destruction, rising sea levels, population). Of course I loved the illustrations. I liked the organization of the book from second through year.
What I wanted and kept looking back at the illus...more
What I wanted and kept looking back at the illus...more
I'm always thrilled by a new book from Steve Jenkins. His torn- and cut-paper collages are endlessly fascinating, and I am in awe of his ability to bring a pumpkin, a mole, a mouse, and a rattlesnake, among others, to life with his paper. This book focuses on time, discussing and showing what can happen in a second, then in a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, and a year. He then devotes two pages each to occurrences that are faster than a second or very long. Backmatter includes informati...more
Originally published at www.apatchworkofbooks.com
Woohoo! A new book from Steve Jenkins! In the non-fiction world, he's one of my favorites, combining really cool, unique illustrations and facts kids love. Short, to the point, fun, and educational...the best combo for a successful non-fiction book for kids, in my opinion.
This one, as the subtitle suggests, looks at time in a different way. Listing different things that happen in one second, one minute, one hour, etc., we get little fact tidbits...more
Woohoo! A new book from Steve Jenkins! In the non-fiction world, he's one of my favorites, combining really cool, unique illustrations and facts kids love. Short, to the point, fun, and educational...the best combo for a successful non-fiction book for kids, in my opinion.
This one, as the subtitle suggests, looks at time in a different way. Listing different things that happen in one second, one minute, one hour, etc., we get little fact tidbits...more
Try to tap your finger on the tabletop as many times as possible in just one second. Ready? Go!
STOP.
How many times were you able to tap it? I think I managed 7 taps, tops. In that same amount of time, a woodpecker can hammer a tree 20 times. Seriously.
In only one second, a bat can call 200 times. That amazes me even more than the woodpecker's speed. In only one second, a midge can beat its wings 1,000 times. That astounds me. That's right, I'm already astounded, and I'm only on the first page...more
STOP.
How many times were you able to tap it? I think I managed 7 taps, tops. In that same amount of time, a woodpecker can hammer a tree 20 times. Seriously.
In only one second, a bat can call 200 times. That amazes me even more than the woodpecker's speed. In only one second, a midge can beat its wings 1,000 times. That astounds me. That's right, I'm already astounded, and I'm only on the first page...more
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"Just a Second" by Steve Jenkins is one the coolest books I have ever read! It is fabulously filled with facts regarding the tellers of time from one second to a year. The flap of a hummingbird's wings, the tides of the ocean, baby whales gaining weight, the human population, the destruction of the rain forest, and more are all specified to the length of time they take and move by. The facts are so amazing they are unbelievable but definitely natural and true. The illustrations are wild.
This bo...more
This bo...more
Jenkins always manages to make science and nature even more fascinating than it usually is. In this book, he shows the passage of time in unique and intriguing ways that will get young scientists thinking differently. What happens in one second? Well, in that second a bat can make 200 calls or hummingbird beats its wings 50 times. What happens in one minute? In a minute a grizzly bear can charge up to one half-mile or a skydiver falls 2 miles during free fall. How about an hour? A day? A week? L...more
It is unusual to see an informational book about time. It makes me think there should be a kids' book about ontology -- consciousness and existence, Heidegger with concrete examples. The examples of time in this book were straightforward, but after a while it became clear that it was just a book about how many of certain things can happen in a unit of time. That got old. Also, there was clear text about how time developed as a measurement concept, but nowhere were these measurement concepts (suc...more
the world has adapted a way to measure the passage of time that was first invented by the Babylonians. We still use these discrete measures of seconds and minutes. This book explains the history of these measures and provides an astounding number of facts about what actually happens within those times.
I picked this up because I found it had been mis-shelved.
I finished it because it was interesting to learn about how we have measured time for thousands of years, and to see the different things t...more
I picked this up because I found it had been mis-shelved.
I finished it because it was interesting to learn about how we have measured time for thousands of years, and to see the different things t...more
This is a very educational book and adults will find it as interesting as children, BUT it is difficult to read. Jenkins has tried to stuff too much information into one book and failed to organize it except by the time interval (second, minute...). This makes the book difficult to read and concentrate on. If I, an adult, find it difficult, I expect many children will as well. The illustrations are gorgeous, but I agree the ruler like component at the bottom of the page was distracting and I kep...more
Steve Jenkins gives a "different way to look at time" in this nonfiction selection. A gentle intro gives some context for seconds and the book explores what happens in different units of time, beginning with a second. The final pages describes things that happen quickly and that take a long time. The end pages include a timeline of important events in the actual telling of time.
"In one second...a hummingbird beats its wings 50 times...A rattlesnake shakes its tail in warning 60 times." " "In on...more
"In one second...a hummingbird beats its wings 50 times...A rattlesnake shakes its tail in warning 60 times." " "In on...more
Nov 16, 2012
Jessica
marked it as hikedigitalbookshelf
What happens in a second? Minute? Hour? Day? How do we measure time? The heartbeat of a crocodile. The flap of a birds wing. The weight of a baby blue whale. Although these sound like strange ways to measure time, they are all fascinating ways we can think about time. Just a Second makes you think in a unique way about time beyond the ticking hands on a clock. This non-fiction picture book explores time in a different way through natural events.
Just a second would be suitable for almost any elem...more
Just a second would be suitable for almost any elem...more
The subtitle of this book is "a Different Way to Learn About Time", and Jenkins certainly made me think about it differently. He begins by describing what a second is, and what can happen in the natural and man-made worlds in a second--and that amazed me. A rattlesnake can shake its tail 60 times in one second! A fast human runner can run 39 feet in one second! He then goes on to describe a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, and a year in similar manner. He also includes 2-page spreads on...more
Nov 11, 2012
Lisa Vegan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
for kids who are interested in nature & science & time and/or to use for teaching those subjects
Recommended to Lisa by:
Peacegal
Really stellar book, as I’ve come to expect from Steve Jenkins.
This book contains a lot of information on every page and is best suited to independent readers.
The information includes quite a bit about various events that happen over many measures of time (a second, a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, very quick, and very long) and, as with his other books, gives a lot of facts about nature and science, and also human history.
I love his ecological mindedness, and this shows itself...more
This book contains a lot of information on every page and is best suited to independent readers.
The information includes quite a bit about various events that happen over many measures of time (a second, a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, very quick, and very long) and, as with his other books, gives a lot of facts about nature and science, and also human history.
I love his ecological mindedness, and this shows itself...more
4 likes · like · see review
This is an awesome read aloud book for just about any age. I have read it to 2nd graders and 5th graders alike. The book breaks down fascinating things that can happen in a second, then a minute, then an hour, etc. Most of the things have to do with nature and people. It's a good book for talking about fractions as some things happen faster than a second. The kids get really into the facts and most can't believe that they are true. Great as a time filler or as a companion to a lesson.
I didn't actually read it, I just listened while the kids read it. Lots and lots of facts about what can be accomplished in a second, a minute, and maybe other amounts of time?? I have to assume that the pictures are typical of Steve Jenkins. I always enjoy his books. I kept this in the van for a few days and handed it to my five year old as we would set out to drive. I think he read until he got through the whole thing. Because he did it in chunks, he really enjoyed it and we all talked about h...more
Wow! This fascinating, scary, amazing book will enthrall readers with all kinds of facts about what happens in a second...minute...hour...day and give readers an entirely new perception of time. Not only has Steve Jenkins hit it out of the park with all kinds of random and kid-friendly facts about the natural world, he also used his signature paper collages to illustrate the book. I always marvel at how life-like his art is.
Great math book from 1st-4th grade. Can be used to introduce time and teach about elapsed time. It talks about what can happen in a second, minute, or hour. You can use this to have the students make up their own daily schedule and come up with their own elapsed time problems(for older grades) or just talk about how many seconds in a minute, minutes in a hour, hour in a day (younger-middle grades).
This is a really cool book describing lots of different events in time, life, and everyday situations that occur in a second. It's non-fiction and the illustrations are fantastic.
This book is good for ages 4 and up.
The illustrations are really cool and I think kids would be really interested in finding out all of the things that can happen in just a second.
It could be incorporated with a lesson about time, or about some science, or nature.
This book is good for ages 4 and up.
The illustrations are really cool and I think kids would be really interested in finding out all of the things that can happen in just a second.
It could be incorporated with a lesson about time, or about some science, or nature.
Fun facts about time.
Favorite Tidbits
In one second:
Four babies are born.
1,500 chickens are killed.
In one minute:
A baby blue whale gains almost 10 pounds.
Very long:
Counting one number every second, it would take more than 31,000 years to count to one trillion.
The oldest living single organism we know of, a bristlecone pine in California, is more than 4,862 years old.
Favorite Tidbits
In one second:
Four babies are born.
1,500 chickens are killed.
In one minute:
A baby blue whale gains almost 10 pounds.
Very long:
Counting one number every second, it would take more than 31,000 years to count to one trillion.
The oldest living single organism we know of, a bristlecone pine in California, is more than 4,862 years old.
This book is awesome to show kids when learning about time. It cold also be used (very easily) in a math lesson. The book compares things with a second, minute, hour,day, week, month, year,things that are quick, things that are long, the history of the universe human population and lifespans. So many different subject could be taught with this book; reading, science, math, and more.
I am a big fan of Steve Jenkins books, and this book does not disappoint me Just a Second: A Different Way to Look at Time, looks at time in relation to nature and the world around us. What can happen in a second? a minute? an hour? etc. Take a look in this book and you'll find out. My husband is a non-reader, and he even enjoyed this book. Keep them coming, Steve Jenkins!
This book talks about time itself. It discusses things that can occur in a second. It is filled with great pictures and facts of time. The ending of the book goes over things that are very quick and very long. This would appeal to those interested in science and intended for those ages 12 and older. I would tie this into an introduction about discussing the value of our time.
This book combines science and math! It breaks down everything that can happen in numerious examples of time spans (one minute, one second, one hour, etc.). These examples are based in nature and science. So not only can various facts about the natural world be exposed, but it can be done by using mathematical concepts. 4 th to 5 th grade.
Many interesting facts about what happens in a second, a minute, an hour, etc focusing on humans, animals, and science. A time line at the end shows the comparison of the facts listed in the book into a visual format that is helpful. Could be a good resource for time units in elementary school, though perhaps more for 1st - 3rd grades. Jenkin's collage art is a treat to look at.
A book of astonishing time measurements -- almost overwhelms with numbers. The illustrations do a good job of quantifying what a second, minute, month, year mean in terms of the animal and natural kingdoms. The facts about population growth make the increases understandable and frankly, scary. For kids who love to collect facts.
A fascinating book full of facts...what can happen in one second ("a black mamba slithers a frightening 24 feet"), in one minute ("a hungry horned lizard can eat 45 ants, one at a time"), in one hour ("a starfish can crawl 30 feet or more"), in one day, in one week, in one month, etc.
I'd love to add this one to my library's collection.
I'd love to add this one to my library's collection.
This is a great picture book with many science facts. The book is about the many things that occur over time. The book contains a lot of information about animals, humans, and so much more. The pictures are great with sentences to describe each picture. This is like a fun fact book that you can learn so much from.
Apr 17, 2013
Heidi
added it
Some very interesting facts in relation to measures of time. I enjoyed the read, and the simplicity of the illustrations matching the facts. A lot of kids will enjoy this--I'm even considering tying it into my NGA program this week. I think it will be a popular choice among the Informational Beehive nominees.
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