The Librarian Who Measured The Earth Read Free Books and Download eBooks
A colorfully illustrated biography of the Greek philosopher and scientist Eratosthenes, who compiled the first geography book and accurately measured the globe's circumference.
Lexile Measure: 840L (What's this?)
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books; 1st edition (September 1, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316515264
ISBN-13: 978-0316515269
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.5 x 11.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #82,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #10 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > European #41 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Ancient Civilizations #77 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Science Studies > Astronomy & Space
Age Range: 7 - 9 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
This is a picture book format biography of Eratosthenes, who lived in Ancient Greece, focusing on how he calculated the size of the Earth using a mathematical formula and measurements taken by measuring shadows and length of footsteps from one location to another. Eratostehenes had many roles and talents, one being that he was a mathematician and author of books on several topics. He wrote the first geography book, which included the first map of the world and the first documentation of the size of the Earth.The publisher says this is for ages 4-8 however the math concept of the formula he used to determine the size of the Earth was too complex for my 6 year old to grasp. The text is long-ish compared to a typical picture book as well, so I think this can extend a little beyond 8 yrs. if it is acting as a brief biography. I am not sure how many chapter book format biographies are out there for kids 9 and up on Eratosthenes, so this may be better than nothing for older kids!The colorful pictures are nice and really compliment the text, especially when showing how he thought about measuring the Earth and comparing it to a grapefruit. It also addresses the idea of asking questions, curiosity, and making guesses at answers about things in the world that they did not yet know about.This is a combination of history, math, and geography with a little scientific thought thrown in. It laid out his first questions and theories and how he came up with different ideas to come up with a way to measure a part of the land. We learn about what worked and what failed, leading up to how he finally came to a method that he thought was accurate, and why he thought this formula would work. His computation was about 200 miles off of the distance we measured in this century!Within the story we learn about what schools were like for boys in Ancient Greece, that books were in scroll format, what libraries were like (and that they were rare) and other tidbits.There is a bibliography included that can be used for further reading resources as well. This book is also a great example of how one book can cross over several subject areas: math, history, science and geography.
This is an excellent book for students of all ages! The story of the project to measure the earth well before Columbus reminds student that history has myths. Many people not only knew the earth was round but also about how big it was. Columbus ignored this ancient data and grossly miscalculacted the circumference. This book is a resource for studies across the curriculum. Including history, math, and geography in a fairly easy to read format. The age 4-8 for reading level is not accurate. The reading is probably around intermediate grade level and much of the technical information is secondary school level. It is a super adition to any library.
As a teacher, I've used this book for several years as a "read-aloud" in my sixth grade math classroom. I time it with my geometry units. It's a hit every time. The kids truly love it, and ask great follow-up questions. The book explains the math involved in finding the circumference of the earth 2000 years ago. The language and great illustrations make the math easy to understand. Since the students also read mythology in reading class, it's a perfect cross-curricululm connection. In the past two years, I've timed it to coincide with the "Read Across America" movement on March 2.
As a sixth-grade Social Studies teacher I needed ways to integrate other subject areas into my curriculum. I came across this book while researching for a unit on Ancient Greece. The book has pictures that are vivid and exciting and follow young Eratosthenes throughout his life until the time in which he "measured the Earth" . My students will find its words complex enough to keep them interested but simplistic enough to follow along. This can be integrated well with math lessons dealing with angles and circumference. I found the book to be extremely enjoyable.
This picture book gives a history of the first man who figured out how to measure the diameter of the earth. It makes the mathematics accessible as well as showing that you don't have to be a mathemetician to use math.
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