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Title: The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
ISBN: B00126VVBS
Author:
Kathryn Lasky
Publicate Date: 1994-09-01
Publish: 1994-09-01
List Price: $17.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $6.99
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $8.44
Amazon Merchant Price: $6.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Fascinating piece of science in history with one man and one book
This is one of my favorite books when it comes to have a story hour with children 8-12 years old (and not 4-8, even though younger children can still be fascinated by the story, the logic here and kind of information requires more maturity!).
This nice biography for children just shows that all this knowledge we have is a heritage of those past great minds. This book talks about a curious and intelligent child who becomes the "librarian who measured the earth". It shows how a library can be the perfect place for curious people to gather information and think and how inter-disciplinary thinking and learning is important. There is science, maths, geography, and much more: the imagination and logic of this great man: Erastothenes.
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2: Good Biography and Scienctific Discussion
This book contains a cursory biograph of his life and a good discussion of the measurement technique used by Eratosthenes. The story was captivating for my 6 year-old son.
Through the text and wonderful pictures, the book shows the scientific method used by Eratosthenes to measure the circumference of the earth. The book is a little heavy on theory (lost on a young child). As a science teacher, I would have used this in my earth science classroom to spark discussion with students.
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3: Have genius, will measure!
It is amazing how the union of art and words can produce a book so full of wonders. How to count them? How to describe them? Perhaps the bibliography is the place to begin. The writer Kathryn Lasky consulted nine sources for the information incorporated into the story of Eratosthenes; Kevin Hawkes, the illustrator, used sixteen.
Each double-page spread of illustration displays the artist's extensive knowledge of all things Greek and Cyrenian (Greek city on the coast of Africa in what is now Libya, where Eratosthenes grew up). Textile patterns, Greek urn art, linens, palm trees, brick work, plant life, housing, clothing styles, educational settings, musical instruments, mathematical counting methods, colors, architecture, landscaping. These are just a few items from the first few pages. The artwork is truly magnificent, yet part of the story as information. His intense and deep bright colors match the intensity of North Africa.
Lasky also pours information into the story, revealing pretty much what it was like in Eratosthenes' day. As for Eratosthenes, Lasky notes in the introduction that not much is known about his life, but much is known of the Greek world, its people, and its culture. All Lasky had to do was place an intensely curious child into the Greek setting to lay the background for the development of this genius.
As a librarian, I was most impressed with the library in Alexandria and how it was run. Being named head librarian was a real turning point for Eratosthenes, as the library put at his disposal all the information he needed for solving a long-time problem that occupied his mind: How big around is the Earth? Finally, using methods over my head, Eratosthenes determined the earth's circumference at 24,662 miles, just two hundred miles off the correct figure. Solving this problem also meant concluding his book, Geographica, the first geography book of the world.
Measuring the earth is but one aspect of Erathosthenes' life. As a student in Athens, he was nicknamed Pentathlos because he was good in so many areas of knowledge. Eventually, he became tutor to Ptolemy III's son.
This is one of those very special books for children that presents not only a story of an admirable person, but also the absolute beauty found only in the art tools of the most talented illustrator. Lasky and Hawkes have created a must-have book for libraries, both school and home!
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4: One of the most treasured books in my library!
"The Librarian Who Measured the Earth" by Kathryn Lasky
This book is one of my most treasured possessions. It is a children's book, but it does contain the mathematics and geometry by which Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the earth to within 2% of the accurate measurement accepted by modern scientists. Eratosthenes did this in the 3rd Century B.C.E. when he was the head librarian in Alexandria, Egypt, ruled by the Ptolemaic kings. [The Ptolemaic Kings were the Hellenic successors to Alexander the Great's empire, after his death].
The book is in a large format, and the color illustrations are lovely, and they enhance the text. The author, Kathryn Lasky has done an excellent job of assimilating vast amounts of technical and historical data and reducing it to form that is appreciated by those without deep grasp of geometry and mathematics. I've looked into some of the geometry which Eratosthenes drew upon to make his determinations and it can be very technical.
It may be that some learned people were well acquainted with the proof of Eratosthenes and that this knowledge was possessed by Christopher Columubs, even as he was pleading with monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, during the very period when their courtiers were developing "Mad Queen Chess" which is the game we play today.
One of the fun things to do, particularly to enhance the learning experience, is to copy the data from this book and enlarge upon it. That Eratosthenes was able to do this fascinates me to no end.
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5: great illustrations but munged math
My nine year old can see that in order for the sun to shine straight down every hole on earth, the earth would have to curve around the outside of the sun. Ms. Lasky "simplifies" the math to the point that it is unintelligible. It might take a page or two more, but if you're going to attempt to explain the mathematics behind the measurement, do it right or not at all.
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