Synopsis
Thomas's family is always late for things. Thomas thinks that if he only knew how to tell time, he could help his family get where they need to be. Then Thomas meets a clockmaker, who gives him a very special clock and some tips to help him learn to tell time. Award-winning designer and artist Sara Pinto shares what Thomas learned in this beautiful and unique book that teaches kids how to tell time in a unique way.
Children's Literature
Thomas is confused by time. His family is always telling Thomas to hurry up. But when his parents say "Wake up! It's quarter after seven!", he visualizes a coin with George Washington on it next to a 7. Other perplexing expressions are "quarter of, till, ten to, half past," along with strange numbers like 4:45, 4:50, or 4:30. Finally Thomas finds a clock store and learns how to take control of his own schedule. The lady owner teaches him first about the hour hand on a "real" clock. She tells him to recognize how this moving hand points to an hour of the day. She sells him one of these nondigital clocks but with just the hour hand on it. The minute hand is boxed for later. After a few weeks of using his new clock, Thomas is ready for the minute hand. Now his mother is the teacher and helps by adding the minute hand, explaining its function, and writing numbers by fives next to the hour numbers. Soon Thomas is not only telling time but is actually beating the clock. The illustrations seem to step back in time with Thomas' father dressed like a baker, his sisters with big bows on their heads, and the women's dresses and hair styles dated as well. This is a time-telling tale indeed since the art of reading a ticking clock is fast becoming old school. Still a child should learn how, if just to tap into the mysterious language of time.