Warlord's Alarm

"Reads like a folktale . . . colorful, eye-pleasing paintings depict grand spreads. Children who like to invent, create, and problem-solve will enjoy this book."
-School Library Journal

This seventh book in the acclaimed Warlord's Series inspires children to use their imaginations and mathematical skills to find a solution to the characters' dilemma.

Chuan and Jing Jing are worried they will not be able to wake the warlord before the sun rises. They are traveling to the emperor's palace, and they can only sleep for four hours before resuming their journey in order to arrive as the emperor's gates open. Without any clocks at the inn, how will they know when to wake up?

Displaying ingenuity, Chuan and Jing Jing turn an ordinary object into something extraordinary. By observing the way Jing Jing's water bag was leaking earlier that day, together they devise a simplified Chinese water clock and awaken in time to rouse the warlord.

As with each book in the series, The Warlord's Alarm includes instructions for a math-related craft. Following Chuan and Jing Jing's adventure, children are encouraged to make their own water clock by using basic materials that can be found at home or school.

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Together, Virginia Walton Pilegard and illustrator Nicolas Debon have earned great praise for the highly successful Warlord's Series, which includes The Warlord's Puzzle, The Warlord's Beads, The Warlord's Fish, The Warlord's Puppeteers, The Warlord's Kites, and The Warlord's Messengers, all available from Pelican.

Virginia Walton Pilegard completed both a B.A. and M.A. in education with a mathematics emphasis. She has worked as an elementary-school teacher and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the California Mathematics Council. The author of Pelican's The Emperor's Army, Pilegard lives with her husband in California.

Nicolas Debon studied art at L'École Nationale des Beaux-Arts and worked for the visual-arts branch of the Ministry of Culture in France and at the consulate in Toronto, Canada. He resides in France.

Chuan and his friend Jing Jing devise a water "alarm" clock to help their party reach the emperor's feast before rival warlords. In this popular series children learn a math concept and are entertained with an ancient Chinese tale. In Warlord's Alarm they learn about measuring time. Also in the series are Warlord's Puzzle, Warlord's Beads, Warlord's Fish, Warlord's Puppeteers, Warlord's Kites, and Warlord's Messengers.

Children's Literature

In this book, a part of the "Warlord's" adventure series that takes place in ancient China, Chuan and his friend Jing Jing travel to an important feast. The emperor has invited all of his military governors to a feast in order to determine which ones remain loyal to him. Chuan and Jing Jing need to arrive before rival warlords in order to gain the emperor's favor. As they travel, they know they can only sleep four hours because they need to be at the emperor's gate when it opens. The inn where they are staying does not have a clock, and they must determine how to wake up after four hours. Jing Jing tells Chaun about the dragon clock that uses bells, thread, incense, and brass dragon boats. They have only a leaky bag, but then Chuan uses the same principle as the dragon clock to devise a means to wake them up by using the leaky water bag and a dish on a shelf. The improvised clock wakes them up and they arrive at the city just as the gates open. The last two pages provide a brief history of water clocks and instructions for making one out of simple materials. The lovely illustrations promote further understanding of the story regarding the clocks and the culture of ancient China. This interesting and unique book has educational value in both mathematics and history.

Nicolas Debon is a freelance illustrator in Versailles, France. In addition to his illustrations for the Warlord’s Series , he is also the author/illustrator of several other books, including two Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award finalists.