Every Second: 100 Lightning Strikes, 8,000 Scoops of Ice Cream, 200,000 Text Messages, 1 Million Gals. of Cow Burps...

Gr 1-5--What happens in one second? More than one would think. Though a substantial 56 pages, the book consists primarily of two sentences. The narrative begins, "Every second, around the world 1 wedding is celebrated..." and continues until the summation sentence. Intriguing statistics about our world are interspersed throughout. The facts initially seem random, but they follow a loose pattern. For example, following a series of facts related to human dietary habits, readers learn the volume of human excrement and household waste produced each second (20,300 and 23,300 pounds, respectively) and the relatively paltry amount of recycling and replanting that humans do. The cartoon-style illustrations are in color but use muted tones. Gibert depicts people in a variety of shades including blue; and as illustrative statistics, they are representative rather than emotive. On one page, sand swirls in the sky above an expansive desert dwarfing the blue silhouette of a person on camelback. The text reads, "11,500 pounds of sand, carried by the wind, leave the Sahara Desert." No artwork details are included, but the colors appear porous, evoking newsprint, sponge, or screen printing. VERDICT This book will amuse and enlighten young or casual readers; more thoughtful readers will appreciate its global perspective and many ideas to ponder.--Lisa Taylor, Florida State College, Jacksonville

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"What goes on around the world in every tick of the clock? In this graphically stylish exploration of what might happen in a second, Gibert goes for hard numbers. The author pores over nearly three dozen recently published official statistical reports (all listed in the backmatter) and does some math. Most telling are the juxtapositions: $860 invested in humanitarian aid opposite $57,700 in arms sales; 20,000 plastic bottles produced versus 1,600 recycled; 485 trees cut down but just 158 replanted. Where relevant, each number is presented in both English and metric measures and each is paired to a full-page or larger illustration done in a serigraphic style, mostly featuring relevant shapes or silhouettes." - Kirkus Reviews

"Those who enjoy books such as If You Hopped Like a Frog, or How Much is a Million? may find this book interesting. Also, teachers may find it useful as a model text to have students create their own infographics" - Youth Services Book Review

"This book will amuse and enlighten young or casual readers; more thoughtful readers will appreciate its global perspective and many ideas to ponder." - School Library Journal

"Colorful, bold graphic illustrations punctuate the statistics cited with sources noted at the end. The eye-popping numbers and images are sure to ignite wonder if not curiosity." - Reading Rockets

"A book of incredible facts from our fast-moving world." - Time for Kids

"Good solid book." - Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's and Young Adult Literature