Scientific discovery changes the world! Discover the fascinating story behind one of the most important changes to nautical navigation in this nonfiction book for young readers. More than 300 years ago, explorers wandered the seas using unreliable maps. What they needed to know was the longitude of their locations, but for that they needed accurate time keeping. Unfortunately, no accurate source of time measurement at sea existed. In 1714 the British government decided to offer a reward to anyone who could solve the problem. Learned men and great thinkers alike tried unsuccessfully to work out a solution. They declared it unsolvable! Carpenter John Harrison was intrigued; he thought he might have a solution. He worked for years to design a clock that functioned accurately at sea, even though no one believed he could do it. Even after his timepiece was demonstrated effective at sea, he was still not acknowledged for his ingenious solution. It took many years and intervention by the king to grant Harrison the recognition and reward he deserved for solving the problem of how to accurately track longitude and for winning the British government prize. The book offers a detailed map of the world at that time and includes the advancements in the use of longitude since then.

 

This book was recognised in the Nonfiction Picture Book category by the Moonbeam Children's Book Award.

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2012 by Pelican Publishing Co .

Joan Marie Galat is an award-winning and best-selling author. Her media company, MoonDot Media, offers writing and editing solutions in broadcast, print, and multi-media outlets. Facing a difficult time in her life, Galat was moved to write this book upon finding inspiration in these words. She is the author of several children's non-fiction books, including The Discovery of Longitude from Pelican Publishing. Galat makes her home in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. WES LOWE has illustrated numerous award-winning books and is known for his aviation and marine paintings. Although making books since the age of nine, JOAN GALAT wasn't published until she was 12 years old, when she became a weekly newspaper columnist. Today she is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books.