Tick-Tock: (Not that one)- FIVE MINUTES!

How can half a month disappear while my back was turned? I was busy, sure, but where did the time go?
It seems like I just posted my enthusiastic celebration of our Cybils Nonfiction Finalists for Elementary and Middle Grade titles, but that was TWO WEEKS AGO! 

Isn't it strange that in some circumstances time flies past and in others it drags along in a dreary slog? (Although I can confirm from personal experience that the older one becomes, the more the speedy-where-did-the-time-go reaction is much more common.)

G. P. Putnam and Sons, 2019

Even so, kids will be the first to point out that any given segment of time is not a mathematically defined span of Earth's rotation. Take, for example, "five minutes", as authors Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick did in their recent picture book, FIVE MINUTES (That's a lot of time) (No, it's not) (Yes, it is). With perfectly paced text cuing recognizable situations that prompt grins, giggles, and groans, illustrator Olivier Tallec interprets this familiar family with every conceivable attitude about just exactly how variable "five minutes" can be. 
Not "seem", but actually BE, in the life of a child, at least. 
Together the text and images  reveal "five minutes" dragging on during painfully boring w-a-i-t-i-n-g, or zipping past when savoring something special.  Speaking of painful, what about those five minutes in a dentist's chair, or when a bathroom stall isn't available- yet. 
There are layers of laughter and love throughout, as the parents and kiddo experience time in different ways, including the heartwarming last minutes of this book. 
Years ago my neighbor-friends had a delightfully precocious tot who began talking early. Some of the first words little Tracy learned were "When?" and "How soon?" Before long she added "It is time yet?'
To all of the above, Mom's gentle response was typically, "Not quite yet."
That was effective for a few weeks. 
But then, when asked/told to do something, Tracy began answering, in a calm and charming tone, "Not quite yet."
I thought of that relationship as I read this book and know that readers of any age will recall their own experiences with that sense of the flexibility and frustrations of time. I can't imagine anyone reading this book and not wanting to tell someone about it, before or after reading it several times more.

Holiday House, 2019

As we all well know, time (on the clock) is anything BUT flexible. Since that is a sad but challenging fact, you may want to check out a recent book by the prolific and kid-friendly author, David A. Adler. His nonfiction picture book, TELLING TIME, is illustrated by Edward Miller and does an impressive job of answering the important question: WHAT IS TIME?
with simple direct address, multiple familiar scenes, and important time-related vocabulary, this book states numerical facts, compares time-measures, establishes relative references for time spans, considers tools and technology, and allows for practice in telling time. 
The diverse characters, speech bubbles, and cartoonish scenes make complex content feel friendly and approachable. A short glossary and author note at the back are also helpful. 
This is intended for instruction, but has lots more appeal than an academic text, making it a great way to return to the book time after time. (<

In many years of teaching, my students and I would often discuss the question, "What superpower would you choose?"
My choice was always control over time, with more examples than I will list here. Suffice it to say, I never developed such powers. Instead I do my best to make the turning of the Earth and the hands on the clock as meaningful and productive and kind as possible. 
When I occasionally manage to succeed at that, I guess it feels pretty super after all.