HOW TALL, HOW SHORT, HOW FARAWAY

Libraries that have been dusting off their old metric system books for years can finally replace them with a bright, new title on measurement from Adler and Tobin. In text and art, they provide an overview of three systems of measurement; half the book is dedicated to the origins of the ancient Egyptian digits, palms, spans, and cubits, as well as Roman paces. The second half turns to the customary and metric systems in use today. Inches, feet, yards, and miles are briefly explained, with comparisons to metric units, from millimeters to dekameters. Wide-eyed cartoon figures are superimposed against cinematic montages of rulers and grids in an eye-catching format; after children have fallen down laughing over Math Curse (1995), this volume offers them practical tools. (Picture book. 6-10)