PATIENCE…

“Some of the most magical things in life…take time and are full of WONDER.”

Following an introduction that explains the origins of the word patience (from the Latin patientia, “to endure” or “to wait”), this well-written compendium of scientific facts, first published in the U.K., presents captivating, child-appealing information about the natural world, from phenomena that occur extremely quickly (light from the sun reaches Earth in eight minutes) to events involving longer periods (a camel can go without water for two weeks as it crosses the desert) to those taking place over the course of years (a rainforest regrows over about six decades). Each set of facts is presented on a two-page spread, beginning with a one-minute phenomenon (the human heart beats 60-100 times in one minute) and concluding with an over-100-years milestone (a Galápagos giant tortoise can live more than a century). Very lively, clear explanations are delivered in a conversational tone. The text is ably abetted by numerous dynamic, child-centric illustrations, rendered in pencil and digitally colored, that are set in easy-to-navigate panels, graphic novel–style, featuring racially diverse background characters. Dashed lines helpfully guide readers through the spreads to facilitate learning.

Be patient and take your time savoring this wonderful offering.