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On the surface, Heidari’s children’s book is incredibly sweet and heartwarming, a feel-good story in every way. However, probing further reveals that it is much more than that. Heidari’s work is a crafty and creative educational piece that is both entertaining and a tailor-made way to help young minds understand the concept of time.
Perfect for a coming together of parent and child at bedtime or a collective classroom read during story time, the work features a fun game and three main characters: Mr. Hour, Mrs. Minute, and Miss Second. In the game, there is a circle marked one through twelve. The slow, deliberate movement of Mr. Hour can only happen once Miss Second has raced around the twelve markers, followed by Mrs. Minute taking a more leisurely stroll through her markers. In every way, it is an endearing personification of the passage of time, with Heidari even describing the shift between day and night when the game has gone for an entire twelve hours, and it is time to repeat the next twelve.
Countless workbooks over the years have attempted to teach younger students time, but the vast majority take an unimaginative approach. In contrast, Heidari’s book not only provides a fun way to learn the concepts but also touches on themes of collaboration and cooperation. On their own, Mr. Hour sports a suave look but is far too slow to “run like a bee,” as Miss Second can. Meanwhile, Mrs. Minute, albeit quicker than Mr. Hour, is far too elegant to go as fast as Miss Second. In the end, the game touches on discovering the strengths of each of the players and catering to them, which is a novel quality to instill in young minds for whom competition will often be taught as simply an outcomes-driven, win-or-lose journey. In the spirit of collaboration, it is refreshing to see all three players enjoying their roles and playing their part, another theme that will undoubtedly come in handy when students find themselves in organized team sports and environments where they may not be the star quarterback or the pitcher or point guard but will still have a role to play to make the team run cohesively.
Though the work is not very long, it is ideal for students to discuss individually or in groups. While the descriptions of how many seconds are in a minute and how many minutes are in an hour are fairly straightforward, the illustrations are just as handy, showing the characters running around Clock Park and engaging in friendly banter. More importantly for learners, it shows the “circle” with the twelve hash marks for the hour clock, as well as the middle hash marks for the minutes. Whether one learns visually, through narratives, or in any other manner, Heidari’s work seems to have taken account of it. Overall, Heidari’s children’s book is a timely resource that helps elementary-aged children grasp the concept of time through storytelling and character-building, a natural tendency for students who are just beginning to grasp their interests and forge their identities.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review