Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

This upbeat, informative book encourages children to become familiar with using the meters, kilograms, and liters of the metric system as well as the yards, pounds, and quarts of the English system. After explaining the origins of traditional measures (in which a foot was the length of the king’s foot) and their later standardization, the discussion turns to the metric system. Text and colorful pictures work well together, showing a boy and a girl measuring familiar objects, such as a guitar or a football. Besides depicting the kids learning the metric system, the lively digital illustrations help readers visualize the metric measurements for length (or distance), weight, and volume. One double-page spread shows landmark structures measured in both feet and meters. Along the way, Adler explains how to convert a measurement from one system to the other and suggests practical, hands-on activities to help readers become more comfortable with the metric system. With few children’s books available on metric measurement, this useful resource will be an excellent addition to many library collections.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Large swaths of pastel colors and simple cartoons illustrate this exploration of the metric system. After pointing out that English measurement and metric measurement are two ways of expressing the same information, well composed spreads compare English and metric units in the areas of length, weight, and volume. Frequent examples relate to readers' experiences (a football weighs about a pound; seven apples approximate a kilogram) and emphasize the easy scalability of the metric system, while occasional activity suggestions encourage readers to get involved. Back matter includes unit conversion notecards and ways to "Think Metric!" (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 2–4—This picture book provides clear, colorful, informative graphics and friendly, knowledgable prose. The text states that when a person measures an object using the metric system or the English system, the measurements are equivalent. Readers are introduced to linear measurement (length and distance), weight, liquid measurement, and volume in the metric and English system. There are many illustrations that support the text and aid readers' comprehension of the concepts discussed. For example, one scene depicts the height of several famous landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramid of Giza, in feet and meters. Another illustration shows a map of the distance between several cities in miles and kilometers. Several activities are included. One activity suggests that readers make a copy of the ruler in the book that shows both inches and centimeters. Then, they are instructed to measure some of the illustrations and other items using both systems. Another activity is to collect labels from food items found in the pantry, note the English system weights and metric weights, and then create a chart of the English and corresponding metric measurements. There are also directions on how to make a liter cube. The narrative's characters are identified as two children named Jennifer and Robert. Jennifer is drawn with brown skin and black pigtails. Robert has light skin and red hair. VERDICT The mix of informative text and hands-on activities make this an excellent introduction to the metric system.—Myra Zarnowski, City Univ. of New York

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Let’s learn about base-10 measurement! (It’s more exciting than you may think.) Meet Jennifer and Robert, or, as they’re sometimes called, Jenny and Bob. Regardless of what you call them, they’re the same people, just as using English measurements or metric measurements doesn’t change the size of an object. So begins this picture book that explains how and why a few countries use one standard of measurement and many others use an alternative. Readers familiar with Adler and Miller’s work will feel at home with this title as well. The book features short paragraphs to explain the history and the mathematics while encouraging readers to consider objects in the book and around the home as subjects to measure. The book is perfect for the mathematically minded reader, and educators and caregivers will also find this useful as a teaching tool. Savvy caregivers can use this as a way to introduce educational moments into common household tasks and chores, such as cooking or grocery shopping. Regardless of use, the book will be a welcome and necessary addition to many a bookshelf. The only question the book doesn’t answer is why the United States holds out against using a system that is manifestly easier and in near universal use elsewhere. Jenny is depicted with brown skin and straight black hair; Bob is depicted with white skin and red hair. Add this to your nonfiction list. (conversion guide) (Informational picture book. 7-11) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.