DK Human Body Encyclopedia

The latest addition to DK’s First Reference series, this thematic encyclopedia provides a visual introduction to the body and how it works. Bursting with photographs of brightly dressed children and babies, many pulling extraordinary faces to demonstrate facial muscles or skin colour, it also includes close-up views of internal organs and other body bits using microphotography, coloured X-rays and thermal imaging, many of which are used in visual quizzes. In addition to ‘Become an expert’ cross-reference ‘buttons’ and ‘Give it a go’ activity panels, there are questions and (upside down) answers running throughout the book. A typical page contains up to ten different kinds of type and heading – all as busy and distracting as a classroom of hyperactive seven-year-olds. On the whole the text is appropriately aimed at this young age group, but there is a strange reluctance to use correct terminology. So for example we never learn the names of the bones of the body – just the thigh bone and shin bone. Nor is there any glimpse of nakedness, and only a mysterious glossing over reproduction. More worrying in the present climate of health concern is the lack of positive images relating to healthy eating. The section on Digestion is illustrated with a meal of hamburger and chips, while the spread on teeth is liberally sprinkled with dolly mixtures. Not a single piece of fruit is shown in the spread on Food, but a photograph of crisps, hot dog and fizzy drink includes the annotation ‘nice as a treat’. Even more bizarrely a pile of boiled sweets nestles among wholemeal bread and pasta (‘You need these to give you energy’), while a caption gaily tells us that ‘an orange gives you enough energy to cycle for 5 minutes. A chocolate bar gives you enough energy for 45 minutes.’ No distinction is made between different kinds of fats, but instead space is devoted to listing and illustrating (the comparatively rare) allergies to wheat, nuts and cow’s milk. Exercise doesn’t even get a mention in the section on Keeping Healthy. Such omissions and careless picture editing spoil what could otherwise be a useful reference book.