Just a Second cover

Just a Second

by Steve Jenkins

"This non-fiction picture book explores time and how we think about it in a different way - as a series of events in the natural world (some of them directly observable, others not) that take place in a given unit of time. Steve Jenkins' extraordinary illustrations will accompany this engaging look at time. Just a Second is visualized as a linear series of illustrations and captions, starting with a second, a minute, an hour, a month, and a year. What happens in a second? A gnat beats its wings 1000 times. A hummingbird beats its wings 75 times. A shrew's heart beats 13 times. A bat squeaks and listens for an echo 10 times. A dropped stone falls 16 feet. Earth travels 18 miles in its trip around the sun. A cheetah can run 100 feet"--

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?