My Body Book

This is a beautifully coherent introduction to the parts and workings of the human body. Big concepts are established first: the brain is ‘the boss’ and nerves link the different parts of the body to the brain. Then the senses, bones, muscles, digestive and blood systems are explained using half-page flaps most effectively. Colourful, well labelled pictures and diagrams give a sense of the body as an ever-moving, ever-functioning machine with heart pulsating, tongue tasting and muscles working. If you are a teacher wanting to show children how science diagrams work, this book has copious good examples; the cross sections of the digestive and blood systems show how to use a key. Enormous effort has gone into presenting the information in a way young readers will find interesting and accessible. But there is nothing lightweight about the information and the witty written text introduces appropriate terminology – for example ‘epiglottis’, ‘pancreas’, ‘dentine’, and ‘retina’.

This book will be an excellent resource for lessons on health and the body for under eights, but is exciting enough to be a welcome gift.