by Kathryn Lasky
illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth is a beautifully illustrated biography of Eratosthenes, a
Greek man who first estimated the circumference of the
Earth over
2000 years ago. This
is sort of two books in one. The first half paints a lovely
picture of life in the ancient world and of Eratosthenes early years and
how he rose to prominence. Then, the second half of the book
shifts to focus on how he calculated the circumference of the earth so
long ago.
This
is a
delightful biography to add into the mix when teaching geometry.
Hawkes' acrylics are
charming and
full of little details about the ancient world. We do have one concern:
For older kids, this
title provides an engaging way to learn about advances in early
geometry, but for young kids (ie: lower grades), please know
that it
does get quite technical when describing the process for measuring the
earth-- likely far too advanced. However, the early part of the book is
age-appropriate for learning about ancient Greece.
* Notable Children's Book 1995 -- American Library Association
* Notable Book 1995 -- Library of Congress
* Honor Book 1995 -- Parent's Choice
Interest Level: Gr. 2-6 DRA Level: 40 Lexile Measure: 840L
Grade Level Equiv: 5.7 Guided Reading: S
Below
are sample spreads from inside The
Librarian Who Measured the Earth. Although our
sample pages here are small, hopefully they provide a glimpse into how
beautifully done the illustrations are. Many
of the subsequent pages are full of historical details and
settings in Ancient Greece and Egypt. And the last half of the
book provides clear illustrations of the math concepts covered.
Now that you've seen this great book, what would you like to see now? Please note that as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
There are lots more Kevin Hawkes books. We love his illustrations! They are beautiful executed, but always with a cute, kid-friendly touch. To see more books illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, click on the images below or the link above. (Note that if you purchase an item from Amazon, they will give me a small referral fee.)
Or see other books on our page of best books for teaching geometry: