What makes your body work? by Gill Arbuthnott <br>
Ill. by Marc Mones. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781472908865
(Age: 9-11) This is a subject every youngster is curious about,
themselves and their body. This book gives the reader information
about various systems and parts of the body, as well as activities
to demonstrate the points made. It will be a useful addition to the
bookshelf for Primary students or Teachers looking for simple
information and experiments.
The brightly coloured pages have simplified textual information
accompanied by either labelled diagrams, as in a cross section of
the human skin, or engaging coloured cartoon styled children adding
information in speech bubbles. The text helps younger students
understand by making comparisons to familiar objects, such as the
blood system related to different sized roads and the surface area
of the villi in the gut equating to a tennis court.
'Try it Yourself' sections accompany almost all chapters giving easy
step by step instructions for the reader to follow, and an
explanation of what they should observe. If equipment is needed
simple diagrams accompany the description.
Thankfully, there are some chapters at the end under the heading
'You can't try it yourself' which include the urinary, reproductive,
hormone and immune systems.
The inclusion of a glossary and some websites, of British origin, to
enable the young researcher to gather more information adds depth to
the information given. An index enables a quick search when looking
for a specific word, while the contents page gives an easy reference
to each chapter.
Sue Keane