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11th out of 42 books
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21 voters
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
A colorfully illustrated biography of the Greek philosopher and scientist Eratosthenes, who compiled the first geography book and accurately measured the globe's circumference.
Hardcover, 48 pages
Published
September 1st 1994
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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Great historical science book for ages 6 and above. It is a picture book, but covers a lot of information without being *too* text heavy on any one page. The story of Eratosthenes is interesting and his curiosity is very inspirational. My son was absolutely riveted by this book, but he is really into anything mathematical. If your child likes math concepts, this is a great narrative which features higher level math in an interesting and unintimidating way.
How I have used this book in the classroom...
My 5th graders loved this book. It's long for a read aloud in a math classroom (you usually don't want to spend half the class reading), but I found it was worth it. The students had to understand circumference and pi. After reading the book, we tried to determine the circumference of an orange using Archimedes' method. Next, they went on the playground and drew giant circles. I had the students make a table that labeled the circumference, diameter,...more
My 5th graders loved this book. It's long for a read aloud in a math classroom (you usually don't want to spend half the class reading), but I found it was worth it. The students had to understand circumference and pi. After reading the book, we tried to determine the circumference of an orange using Archimedes' method. Next, they went on the playground and drew giant circles. I had the students make a table that labeled the circumference, diameter,...more
Title: The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
Arthor: Kathryn Lasky
Illustrator: Kathryn Lasky
Date of publication: 1994
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
ISBN: 0316515264
Number of Pages:48
Description/ Summary: Gr. K-2. This book describes the life and work of Eratosthenes, the Greek geographer and astronomer who accurately measured the circumference of the earth.
Theme:History, language, science, social inequalities, law, government
Activity:
The tale starts to get interesting on page 30, when Erat...more
Arthor: Kathryn Lasky
Illustrator: Kathryn Lasky
Date of publication: 1994
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
ISBN: 0316515264
Number of Pages:48
Description/ Summary: Gr. K-2. This book describes the life and work of Eratosthenes, the Greek geographer and astronomer who accurately measured the circumference of the earth.
Theme:History, language, science, social inequalities, law, government
Activity:
The tale starts to get interesting on page 30, when Erat...more
Jun 28, 2011
Tracey Melcher
added it
Eratosthenes, an ancient Greek scholar and head librarian of the library at Alexandria, has always been inquisitive and intelligent. Years of study developed in him a particular interest in geography. Using his knowledge of science and mathematics, Eratosthenes decided to figure out the circumference of the Earth. Impressively, there was only a 200 foot difference between his final calculation and the actual circumference of the Earth. This story is commendable because it seeks to make ancient h...more
Apr 16, 2012
Destiny
added it
The Librarian who measurd the earth teaches not only math but science in history. Though i am not completely sure if this book is based on a true story i am sure that some of the event in it are. You dont even have to read the book to deduct the time and place. I have come to associate robes with greek and the subject matter a study of a time long past. Mostly the pictures blend into eachother but more often then not the main character in his actions are more defined to bring attention to the ma...more
Eratosthenes was a great thinker who lived over two thousand years ago. He loved to learn and was interested in writing, math, and geography. For many years he was a librarian at the Great Library of Alexandria. His loved of geography drove him to measure the size of the Earth, but he didn’t know how. By studying books at the Great Library, he found an answer and was able to measure the Earth accurately over two thousand years ago, and it was all possible because of his love of knowing and learn...more
This was an INCREDIBLE book!!!!! My, but those Greeks were amazing! I read this book to my 4th grader and 8th grader and we were challenged by the mathematical concepts, but LOVED digging into it. Arcs and angles and distance and circumference all add up to a really exciting story of how a brilliant Greek man in the 3rd century BC was able to figure out how to measure the circumference of the Earth. Intriguing! Warning...be ready to dig into a few mathematical/geometry principles...if you have a...more
Oh goodness! This book will rock your world! This book in particular is neat due to the three subjects that are taught with in the same book. Inside this book the book mentions math, science and history. This book has a lot of events that are true and some that necessarily may not be completely true. The things that man was wearing I must say it reminded me of the Greek Gods. Throughout the book if you simply follow the pictures, you will fully understand the book. The pictures most definitely f...more
Erosthenes, born in ancient Greece was able to figure out the earth's circumference within 200 miles of the correct measurement by today's sophisticated measurement tools. What a feat, indeed! I had never heard of this brilliant Greek before. And the way he figured out the earth's circumference was amazing. I'm not a math person, but he certainly was. Students will enjoy this picture book because of the great pictures as well as the interesting facts about Erosthenes. I would use it when studyin...more
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Eratosthenes was the chief librarian at the library in Alexandria and, like many men of his era, dabbled in philosophy, science and mathematics. This is a really surprisingly engaging narrative about the man who first calculated the circumference of the earth. I say surprising because complex math really isn't my thing, but somehow Lasky distills the information enough so that Eratosthenes' calculations even made sense to a math dullard like myself. There's also just great information here about...more
Most people think of math as 2+2 or 12 - 5...boring. But this book shows how math actually impacts the world and our lives. In ancient times with no computers, calculators, satellites (end of the world, right?!) Arasthenes managed to use mathematical calculations to measure the circumference of the earth...without even traveling all over the world! How'd he do it? That little thing that is a terror to little kids and yet has helped our world tremendously - math. Interested now? you better be...p...more
You can't get much closer to "living math" than when you read about real, live people who used math to do amazing things! Although this book is LONG for a read-aloud picture book, and is more suited to the older child who enjoys being read to (my eight-year-old was immersed in the story, but my six-year-old was a bit wriggly), it's a great living math book simply because Eratosthenes LOVED math for his entire life, and he loved learning, and the book makes those facts very evocative.
All three of us really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading it again. We learned a great deal from this tome -- such as Aristophanes was the creator (or at least credited with) of punctuation and grammar. The kids enjoyed learning about the mathematics employed in measuring the Earth and how accurate Eratostenes was with his final measurement. There was so much that I truly enjoyed about the book ... I sure I'll be re-reading it soon.
I found this book very different from the other books I have found in my placements, but that is why I liked it so much! This is a great historical math book that would be for a long independent read for grades 1st and up. This book gives a better understanding for students to understand Pi and Circumference by a librarian who measured the earth with these units. You could use this to introduce measuring objects in the classroom and applying circumference and pi into the equation. Great way for...more
Intriguing illustrations and story telling illuminate the curiosity and achievements of Hellenistic Alexandria in general and Eratosthenes in specific.
My student resonated with Eratosthenes constant questioning. The narrative form helped him identify with ancient people as explorers of science and technology. In addition, the explanation of the amazing library at Alexandria helped him to see how the insights of one generation are built upon those that go before - WHEN the information from previ...more
My student resonated with Eratosthenes constant questioning. The narrative form helped him identify with ancient people as explorers of science and technology. In addition, the explanation of the amazing library at Alexandria helped him to see how the insights of one generation are built upon those that go before - WHEN the information from previ...more
I thought this was an exceptional book combining studies of the Greeks, Math, and Geography under the disguise of a picture book. Such a great book for understanding real-world application of geometry and history. Great illustrations for young kids and engaging content for older kids who can actually follow all the math applications.
This is a fascinating tale about the man who discovered a method to determine the circumference of the earth. The narrative is interesting and informs without being overwhelming with details. The illustrations are colorful and complement the story nicely. We enjoyed reading this story together.
This is a great book that simply describes the accomplishments of Eratosthenes. A great story for anyone. Plus the book is beautifully illustrated. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in history.
This is a fun book that gives tons of information about the history of Alexandria and the beliefs of the ancient world. It shows the way that a librarian was able to measure the earth using the sun!
Nice children's book about a librarian at the library of Alexandria who calculated the circumference of the earth to within 200 miles using only some simple trig and basic math!
Awesome illustrated book that I read to my children. A very intereting story that comes from history and we all learned alot. I am amazed at how smart some people are.
Great book about an ancient Greek named Eratosthenes. He was a mathmetician who measured the circumference of the earth. I highly recommend it for any age!
Interesting book to read. A bit over my son's head. It was fascinating to learn how Eratosthenes measured the earth in ancient times.
I really enjoyed reading this picture book biography. Not a math person? Not to worry! Wonderfully written and illustrated.
We learned about a scientist in Ancient Greece who fairly accurately measured the earth using crude methods that worked.
This is a fun book to read with your first or second grader. Well written, informative, and genuinely interesting.
Great historical biography book. Many facts and interesting story. Liked it a lot! Challenging words for younger grades
Biography: Wonderful illustrations. Taught the story of Eratosthenes in an interesting, understandable way.
I have fond memories of sharing this with Canaan, Isaac and Seth when we were homeschooling!
Uh.......... It was ok........ It's good for young readers I'll give you that.
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Kathryn Lasky is the American author of many critically acclaimed books, including several Dear America books, several Royal Diaries books, 1984 Newbery Honor winning Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her latest book, Guardians of Ga'Hoole Book 15: The War of the Ember, was released on November 1, 2008. Guardians of Gahoo...more
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Apr 21, 2009 02:29pm