How Big Is Big? How Far Is Far?

How fast is 120 kilometers per hour? How heavy are 4 tons? Units of measure are abstract—until, that is, they are contrasted with other quantities. The entertaining juxtapositions in How Big Is Big? How Far Is Far? make dimensions and measurements more comprehensible for children. 

The book features amusing comparisons that make units of length, distance, weight, speed and time easier to grasp. The Queen of England’s crown, for example, weighs more than 100 portions of cotton candy. It would take eight days of travel in an elevator through the Earth’s center to reach the other end. When the world’s oldest living tortoise was born, there were no electric lights, telephones, cars, or airplanes.