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Reading Rockets' children's literature expert, Maria Salvadore, brings you into her world as she explores the best ways to use kids' books both inside — and outside — of the classroom.
Tempus fugit
What parent hasn't heard: Are we there yet? When will it be my birthday again? Is it almost time for...? Time — and its passage — is tough for children to grasp.
But what is time? How can time be measured in ways that mean something to kids?
Younger children — and the adults in their lives — will appreciate a recent book entitled A Second is a Hiccup (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic). "A second is a hiccup --/The time it takes to kiss your mom/Or jump a rope/Or turn around."
Seconds turn into minutes, hours, then weeks, months and years — all of which are introduced through familiar experiences, accessible language and appealing illustrations.
This book made me think about what kids and adults can do in a space of time — and provided a conceptual framework to talk about it with children. What else can we do in a second beyond hiccup? In a minute? Hour? Month? Do the seasons look like this everywhere?
Sharing this book also reassures children that through "Sunshine, snow and rain and squall/Winter, spring, summer, fall.../As time unfolds in all its ways/You will be loved --/As surely as a second is a hiccup."
