In 1960, Beth Gleick's three-year old son James asked her, "What is time?" And she answered with a picture book for preschoolers using simple language and experiences familiar to them. Her son went on to write bestselling books on time including Chaos and Faster. The text begins with: "Time is from before to now; from now to later." And within that sequence is a world of countless wonders and delights. Time is measured through seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. We look to clocks where time ticks away. But a far more playful measurement of time is in our actions: "In one second, you can bounce a ball, or jump, or say hello, or turn a page."
In one day, we can choose to do this or that: mornings, afternoons, and evenings offer plenty of possibilities. A year has 52 weeks and four seasons which delight our senses. A birthday is a perfect occasion to think about the past, savor the present moment, and look forward to what lies ahead.
The clever and varied images of illustrator Marthe Jocelyn match the creative vitality of the text. Time Is When is a snappy and wonder-inducing children's book!
