Keeping Time: From the Beginning and Into the 21st Century [Hardcover]

Franklyn Mansfield Branley (Author), Jill Weber (Illustrator), Iris Van Rynbach (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 1993 | Age Level: 9 and up

"Branley successfully blends science, folklore, poetry, and activities to create a fine introduction to time . . . Solid information presented with clarity and wit make this a winner for general audiences as well as for report writers." -- School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. From the history of timekeeping and calendars to the theory of relativity to the reasons we divide time as we do, Branley challenges readers with difficult, abstract concepts and offers simple, concrete projects. While not entirely successful, because it sometimes skirts complex issues, the book does present a great deal of information in clear and readable form and includes little-covered subjects such as digital and atomic clocks. Weber's cartoonlike ink drawings appear on nearly every page, usually clarifying the subject (how to make a sundial), sometimes muddying it (the Big Bang), but always providing an upbeat counterpoint to the text. A handy, brief guide to the subject. Carolyn Phelan

From Kirkus Reviews

Seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months, years, forever--it's surprising how arbitrary our temporal bookkeeping is, owing as much to lore as to science. Branley ranges through history, astrology, astronomy, and modern technology to explore how we've arrived at our hodgepodge of nomenclature and method, while Weber's drawings amplify and extend the text. Surprisingly, the much-experienced author occasionally approaches but then fails to draw a conclusion--e.g., that we have 12 months because there are 12 full moons in a year. Clocks are given short shrift: pendulums aren't mentioned, and there's an anomalous drawing of a 10-hour clock with what looks like a 12-hour alarm. Nevertheless, there's a lot here for either an individual reader or a class. Bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 8+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 105 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company (September 27, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395477778
• ISBN-13: 978-0395477779
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,164,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Franklyn Branley was Astronomer Emeritus and former Chairman of the American Museum-Hayden Planeterium. In 1960, he originated the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series, dedicated to explaining science to young children and encouraging them to explore their world. Dr. Branley is the author of over 150 science books for children.