Just a Second: A Different Way to Look at Time by Steve Jenkins

 

Jenkins, Steve. Just a Second: A Different Way to Look at Time. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011. ISBN 978-0-618-70896-3

Plot

Just a Second briefly describes some of the history of time and timekeeping and provides interesting time-related trivia. In one second a bee can beat its wings about 200 times, in one minute a snail can move forward about one foot, and in one hour a baby whale can gain about ten pounds. Some facts are carried over to longer units of time, such as the number human births in a second, a minute, an hour, a day, and so on. The book also describes events that take place in less than a second and those that occur over hundreds and thousands of years.

Analysis

Highly regarded nonfiction and science author and illustrator Steve Jenkins outlines a series of facts in this trivia and concept book about time. A brief introduction to each unit of time and the history of timekeeping adds a frame of reference and additional interest. The first few pages deal with events that take place in one second, and additional pages describe events taking place in longer and longer units of time. Each piece of trivia is accompanied by a true-to-life cut-paper illustration. The pages are not overcrowded with pictures or text, with about ten pieces of trivia per two page spread. The facts and illustrations scattered across the colorful pages invite readers to browse, reading whatever catches their eye. Estimates and approximations are made clear, and the facts themselves are sometimes humorous, sometimes shocking, and always fascinating. The book ends with a series of charts, covering events that took place in the history of the universe, showing human population growth over the years, comparing lifespans of various plants and animals, and keeping a timeline of the history of timekeeping. Back matter includes additional reading and a note describing the sources of information for the facts and numbers described.

Awards and Recognitions

Steve Jenkins is an award-winning author and illustrator, and Just a Second has received several positive and starred reviews.

“Jenkins's fascinating way of looking at time is bolstered by a wide variety of examples from nature and man, and while many are simply fun, others will give somber pause […] Jenkins renders this package both eye-catching and mind-boggling.”—Alyson Low, School Library Journal Starred Review

 “Jenkins isn’t here to lecture but to enlighten. With a dazzling array of science and nature facts on the order of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, he succeeds in teaching children about time even as he’s bound to pique their interest in a wide variety of behaviors […] the material is organized and arranged with care by Jenkins, whose meticulous cut-paper collage illustrations are detailed and yet unfussy.”—Pamela Paul, New York Times Book Review

“Jenkins brings fresh perspective to the passage of time in a thought-provoking picture book […] This subtly philosophical examination of time, scale, and the mechanics of life is all but certain to leave readers reconsidering the world and their place in it.”—Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Connections

Discuss the tick of a clock, each tick representing another second has passed. With children who are reading, take turns reading and counting ticks—count how many ticks it takes to read the title (“Just a Second”) and first two sentences of the book (“A second goes by pretty quickly. In fact, several have passed since you started reading this sentence.”). Set a timer for one second and observe how quickly it passes. Challenge children to see what they can accomplish in one second. How many times can they blink their eyes, clap their hands, or spin around? Try with other units of time, such as ten seconds, thirty seconds, or one minute, and other activities, such as hopping up and down on one foot, flapping their arms, or say the word “bumblebee.”

Consider reading other books about time, such as:

• T is for Time, written by Marie Smith and illustrated by Renee Graef
• About time: A First Look at Time and Clocks, written and illustrated by Bruce Koscielniak
• Storyworlds: A Moment in Time (A Perpetual Picture Atlas), written and illustrated by Thomas Hegbrook

Also consider these other trivia and science books:

• Weird but True! books published by National Geographic Kids
• How come? Every Kid's Science Questions Explained, written by Kathy Wollard and illustrated by Debra Solomon
• What Do You Do With a Tale Like This? written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
• Animals By The Numbers: A Book of Animal Infographics, written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins

*This review was written for a youth literature class through Texas Woman’s University.