How Do You Know What Time It Is?

Wells of Knowledge Science

by Robert E. Wells

Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award 2003

What would life be like with no clocks and no calendars? How would you know when to get up in the morning? How would you know when baseball season was about to start? Long, long ago, all people could do was watch the sun and moon and try to figure things out. Eventually, they made simple clocks like sundials. And as time marched on, people came up with more ways to measure it. Today, quartz crystal watches and atomic clocks tell us EXACTLY what time it is, at any moment, all over the world.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Mathematics, 2nd Grade

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

About Robert Wells
Robert E. Wells is the author and illustrator of many intriguing and award-winning science books for children. He lives with his wife in Wenatchee, Washington.


Welcome Robert E. Wells’s books into your classroom, and you’ll find most of
your science curriculum covered. The twelve volumes – engaging and informative,
educational and inviting – provide second through fifth graders with lessons in
science and math from astronomy to weather; from biology to measurement.
Beyond the solid information that is the core of each book, Wells also introduces
concepts that offer students deeper understanding of the subjects at hand. His
conversational tone and thought-provoking questions will lead children to questions
of their own. And that is the beginning of all scientific learning.

Reviews

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised. Highly recommend!

[Pink STREAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an amazing way to understand time's importance. It shows how the clocks and calendars are invented, worked, and changed over time. Some parts of the book are very scientific so it might be boring and hard to understand for children.
The text type and illustrations make the book more fun and interesting. Also shows different cultures like Egypt and Roma Empire. This is a great book for your little child's hard "time" questions. Just read and have fun.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from the fact that it tends to get a particular Chicago song stuck in my head, this is a great book to learn about time -- what it is (though we don't know for sure), and how we developed tools to measure it. To that end, it's actually just as much about history as it is about science, and I think it might be a little more complicated than some of the other Wells books, but still very thorough and well explained -- it covers sundials, clocks, solar and lunar calendars, earth's rotation and orbit, time zones, and more.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

learning experience, shocking these reviews are not that great, i am confused by that? if you are looking for 3 great reads from this author, Robert E. Wells. they are stocked full of learning materials ... i guess it truly depends on how or where your child is in their life ... are the able to understand the info ... enjoy the knowledge??! great illustrations. well done. shocking these reviews are not that great, i am confused by that? if you are looking for 3 great reads from this author, Robert E. Wells. they are stocked full of learning materials ... i guess it truly depends on how or where your child is in their life ... are the able to understand the info ... enjoy the knowledge??! great illustrations. well done. I read, 3 of his books: "What's Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew?", "Did a Dinosaur Drink This Water?", and "How Do You Know What Time It Is?". (They are listed by my favorite... all great, just really was pulled in by the name "Pygmy Shrew" i know the name, was it from a tv show, thinking, thinking??! and i always love Dinos) all must reads.

[Pynteya Bate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book gives children basic explanation about history of telling time with the sun, shadow sticks, water clocks, sundials, sunglasses, and creation of the mechanical clock. Also, the author includes basic science information about phases of moon, earth tilt and rotation, and time zones. I really like this book, it teaches children about the time in very interesting way. I love the illustrations; they make this subject even more mysterious.

[Casey Elekes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and all of the information it contained. I would highly recommend to young children as they are trying to comprehend and learn timing. The illustrations add a fun effect to also be learning at the same time. The book explains the history of time and how different eras calculated time, including pictures to help understand.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Robert E. Wells. I really like the way he gets kids to engage in his fantastic science books.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains difficult concepts in a fun way. Early clocks, the orbits of the earth and moon, time zones, etcetera.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a good understanding of time and how we came to use the calendar.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is an absolute favorite in our home. Robert Wells makes topics so understandable for kids and presents them in a fun way.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Love this science series for kids. This book does not disappoint!!

[Tova · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy to understand picture book for kids to help them understand the concept of time.

[Aaron Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wells, R. E. (2002). How do you know what time it is? New York: Scholastic.

[School For Wayward Children]

More a theoretical look at telling time--what is time...