Ton

by Tarō Miura

One man lifts a 50-pound girder. A forklift moves a 1-ton load. A wheelbarrow, a crane, a truck, a train all transport increasingly heavy objects as Taro Miura's deceptively simple book unfolds. Children will delight in the arresting images of workmen and their equipment. And as the weight increases so will their undertanding of how we measure it. A dramatic gatefold spread and a brief explanation of different systems of measurement complete the picture as this unique book makes learning about weight absolutely effortless.

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics, Science, Nonfiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 27, 2006

About the author

Taro Miura was born in Aichi, Japan, in 1968. After graduating from Osaka University of Art with a degree in screen printing, he worked for ten years as a free-lance illustrator for magazines and advertisements. He was selected for the Illustrators Exhibition for The first time in 2001 and then for five consecutive years from 2003. In 2004 he published two picture books, one with the Swiss publishing house La joie de lire and another with Edizioni Corraini in Italy. In 2005, he published his best selling picture book The picture book Chīsana ōsama (The Tiny King) won the (pre-school children in Japan: Kuttsuita (Stick Together), with Koguma Publishing. Sankei Children's Literature Culture Award in 2011.In 2014 Corraini published his stencil drawing book: Workman Stencil. An exhibition and workshops based on this book was held during the Bologna Book Fair in 2014 at MAMbo, the modern art museum in Bologna.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this simple concept book from Japanese children's book illustrator Taro Miura, the idea of weight is explored, as successively heavier objects - from a 50-pound girder to a 10,000-ton tanker - are depicted. The meaning of these weights, in human terms, is communicated by the varying means of transport that are necessary to move them. The initial image shows a single man lifting the 50-pound girder, while the next depicts two men lifting a 100-pound girder. Wheelbarrows, hand-trucks, palette jacks, and various lifting vehicles all appear, culminating in the ocean itself, which serves to "lift" the massive tanker seen on the final, fold-out spread.

Mentioned by children's literature scholar Leonard S. Marcus in an article ("Back to the Future: Retro picture books — déjà vu all over again?") that appeared in the January/February 2010 edition of The Horn Book Magazine, in which he describes it as an example of the revival of the "Constructivist" style of the early twentieth century, Ton is an almost wordless book. The only text present gives the weight of the objects being depicted, making the main focus the artwork. The paper itself is heavy, which, in conjunction with the final fold-out pages, creates a distinctly tactile, as well as visual experience.

Although I can't say that I greatly enjoyed this, from a storytelling perspective (there really isn't any story, after all), Miura's book does have great artistic and visual appeal, and I can see it being a hit with children who are at the early "concept book" stage, and are interested in structures and vehicles. It would make an excellent prelude to titles like Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go .

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book with simple yet effective drawings showing the differences in weight, and how man moves them. There is even a page explaining the difference between pounds (lbs) and kilograms (kgs), with examples. It further points out the differences in the 'ton' as used throughout the world; the long ton, short ton, and the metric ton.

[Đào Minh]

http://www.mitsubishi-trungthuong.com...

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using simple computer-generated images, Miura shows the reader how weight adds up and also how heavy things are moved. The opening spread features one man holding a bar, with "50 LB" written above it. The next shows two men holding a longer bar, labeled "100 LB". The weight increases with each page turn, and the necessary equipment changes to accommodate the weight, from manpower to dollies, carts, cranes, trains, tankers, and more. While kindergartners will like looking at all the machines, upper elementary classrooms studying weight or machines will benefit from the book as well.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like how such heavy weights are explained in this book! There is minimal text, and the concepts are shown using simple artwork in bold, simple colors. The thing I would have liked to see is to break it down a little more at the beginning to show how they got to 50lbs. (which is the weight that it starts with).

[Kristi Mcduffie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up as a spontaneous purchase, and it ended up being my kids' favorite of the bunch. It shows different weights of things and how they are carried (by hand, machine, train, etc.). My sons didn't even know they were learning. Fun and educational for a variety of ages.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much to this book, but teaches weights. I'm not sure which child who is learning weights needs a book this easy, but it gives a good visual.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Youngsters are given the idea of the weights and measures of a ton.

[Rani · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much does a ton weigh?

[Danica Midlil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book about the relative weight of items. Answers: What does a ton look like?