The Story of Clocks and Calendars : Marking a Millennium [Hardcover]

Betsy Maestro (Author), Giulio Maestro (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Series: American Story Series: The Book for the Year 2000

January 1, 2001, will mark the beginning of a new thousand-year period on earth. But our earth is more than four billion years old, and humans have lived on our planet for perhaps two hundred thousand years. So how can it be the year 2000? The answer is that it is the year 2000 only on the Gregorian calendar. On the Hebrew calendar, the year will be 5760. On the Muslim calendar, the year will be 1420. And on the Chinese calendar, it will be 4698. So what year is it really? It all depends on what calendar you use and when you started counting the years.

Here is the fascinating story of timekeeping: how, over thousands of years, calendars and clocks came to be.

00-01 Young Reader's Choice Award Program Masterlist

Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2000, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Maestro begins with a discussion of calendars: how, when, and where they originated; the different types; and how various countries, rulers, and religions influenced timekeeping. She then discusses the passage of time marked by sundials and hourglasses, provides a general description of early clocks and watches, and brings the subject up to the present with a mention of the atomic clock. The final pages address the question of when the millennium actually begins. Maestro's writing displays its usual objectiveness and clarity. Detailed illustrations of artifacts, including the earliest-known calendars carved into bone, and colorful background scenes done in pencil, colored pencils, ink, and watercolors enhance the descriptions and add immensely to the overall success of the book. The glossary and endnotes supply additional facts about expressions, the names of the days of the week, and computers and the year 2000. The only thing lacking from this otherwise all-inclusive book is a list for further reading. Be sure to purchase more than one copy of this timely volume.
Kit Vaughan, J. B. Watkins Elementary School, Midlothian, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Scientific American

The year 2000 is here, or is it? As explained in this timely volume, the answer depends on which calendar you are using. Some calendars found around the globe are religious in origin, whereas others are cultural. The Gregorian calendar (the one most commonly used around the world for official business) is a Christian calendar. Examining the ancient calendars from which the Gregorian calendar grew, Maestro explores the assumptions and influences that shaped it. Did you know that March used to be the first month of the year? Or that the year 46 B.C. had 445 days? (The extra days were added because inaccurate calendars had caused the calendar year to become out of sync with the seasons.) Learn how people watched for the moon, the sun and the passing seasons to measure the years. Then move on to shorter amounts of time such as hours, minutes and seconds. Take a look at how shadows, water and sand can each be used to measure the passing of time. We also learn the story of today's clocks, which evolved in response to the need for more precise timekeeping. If you've got some time to spare, you might spend it reading this book.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688145485
• ISBN-13: 978-0688145484
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betsy Maestro is the author of the "American Story" series, illustrated by her husband, Giulio. She has also written several other non-fiction picture books, including the Let's-Read-And-Find-Out science books How Do Apples Grow? and Why Do Leaves Change Color?
The Maestros live in Old Lyme, Connecticut.