Illustrated Adventure in Human Anatomy

I think "adventure" was a good choice of words to include in this whirlwind tour of the human body! This full-color, lively guide takes readers system by system through the human body, incorporating diagrams, detailed anatomy illustrations, facts, physical activities, and pencil-and-paper activities. Nine chapters cover the skeletal system, muscular system, nervous system, circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive system, eyes, ears, taste and smell. Each section is several pages long, and moves from the general to the more specific in content, and wraps up with activities. In the skeletal system section, readers can examine a fully labeled skeleton, with common and anatomical names for the bones and bone groups, and read facts about our bones. The next page zeroes in on the spine, shows how the spinal bones are put together, and shows how bones support our body and protect it. The last page on bones discusses bone growth, and shows the different parts of a bone using a detailed bone diagram and a blown-up cross-section of bone. The activities for the bone section include a word puzzle using bone terminology, a match between common and scientific bone names, a word problem that asks students to try to figure out how tall they may get, and a list of places on your body you can touch to feel the different bones and joints that are hidden underneath. Although the pages are pretty busy, the book quality is excellent, and the detailed anatomy drawings are terrific. I also like that the activities and "side-bars" apply anatomy topics to kids, so they can "experience" for themselves, and think about anatomy in terms of their bodies, not just from a drawing in a book! - Jess