Praise for The World In A Second

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the 21st Century (So Far) A Boston Globe Best Book of 2015 "Each moment leaps to life with vividly colored illustrations that spread across two pages and capture time and place with remarkably evocative detail and varied, exquisite composition... The central magic of this book lies in the sophisticated, elaborate treatment of an idea that sounds like it was plucked from a child's daydream."
The Boston Globe

“As with that deceptively simple poetic form, only a handful of syllables appear on each page of this handsome book, and most relate to small, quotidian things. Yet the overall effect is sweeping and dramatic. Through the clear lines of Bernardo Carvalho’s color-saturated illustrations, we travel from country to country, seeing what’s happening at the exact same moment.”
The Wall Street Journal

STARRED REVIEW! ? "Even as Martins' spare text describes the action with poetic restraint via Miller-Lachmann's translation (‘In an island barbershop, a man bids farewell to his mustache’), Carvalho's double-page spreads invite readers to linger to understand each of the 23 stories... The book's extra-large trim is the perfect format for this mesmerizing vision of a thrillingly expansive world."
Kirkus Reviews

This mesmerizing picture book shows events all over the world that take only a second to elapse. Beginning with the opening page, scenes unfold, depicting activities both typical and unexpected (a volcano erupting, an old woman getting ready to go to sleep, a house being demolished). The book concludes with a map of the world that indicates where and when each moment took place. The text is straightforward, but the illustrations are stupendous. Deceptively simple, the art is flat, with a graphic feel, featuring a muted palette. Perspective is critical to the effectiveness of the images; they're presented from various creative points of view that influence viewers' perception of the scene. Teachers can easily use the spreads as writing prompts for students… A work of art, with much potential classroom usage.
School Library Journal

About the Author

Isabel Minhós Martins is a Portuguese author and publisher whose words are found in works of poetry, children’s books, magazines, comic books, and scripts for animations.

Bernardo Carvalho is an illustrator and graphic designer from Lisbon whose work has been honored with multiple awards.

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