Book of the Week

The World in a Second

by Isabel Minhós Martins
Illustrated by Bernardo P. Carvalho
Translated from the Portuguese by Lyn Miller-Lachmann 

 

 
U.S. edition: Enchanted Lion, 2015
56 pages
ISBN: 978-1592701575
Ages 6-11

“While you turn the pages of this book, the world doesn’t stop…” A picture book that begins and ends with an awareness of the book itself as both physical object and source of engagement also launches reader’s and listeners on a journey around the world, offering glimpses of things happening at the same moment in time. A boat tossed by a storm in the Baltic Sea, passengers stuck on an elevator in New York City, a soccer ball flying toward a window in Greece, a man resting on a bench in Tokyo, a thief entering a home (perhaps his own, it’s playfully noted) in Pescara, Italy. The location of these and other scenarios isn’t always stated or obvious, but the detailed, stylized illustrations offer many intriguing, and sometimes revealing, things to look at, while each two-page spread is numbered. A world map at the end identifies the locale of each numbered scene, along with the time in that location at the moment (e.g, 9:32 a.m. in Buenos Aires, 9:32 p.m. in Tokyo). The final scene, of a girl on a bed reading, states, “…And a book reaches the end.” A book ripe for discussion offers added appeal for kids who love pouring over details. ©2015 Cooperative Children’s Book Center