Inside Your Insides: A Guide to the Microbes That Call You Home - Hardcover

Eamer, Claire

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1771383321 ISBN 13: 9781771383325

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2016

Synopsis

“Wherever you go, tiny hitchhikers tag along for the ride,” this intriguing illustrated nonfiction book begins. “The hitchhikers are actually microbes --- tiny living things so small that you need a microscope to see them. And every person carries around trillions and trillions of these critters.” Six of the most common “critters” that live in and on our bodies are introduced here: bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, protists and mites. Each one has its own preferred environment, and readers will be startled (and likely a little grossed out!) by the many places they live, including the hair follicles on our faces, the folds of our tongues and the lengths of our guts. Just as surprising, only some of them are “bad guys” that cause disease, and many of them are actually “good guys” that keep us healthy. There's even research currently being done on ways to improve or fix our collection of microbes as a way to make us healthier. Author Claire Eamer's clear, well-organized and accessible writing --- augmented throughout with fun facts and silly microbe jokes in sidebars --- keeps the book interesting and enjoyable. Marie-Ève Tremblay's bright and cheerfully funny illustrations bring the details to delightful life. With its cutting-edge information about a topic children will find fascinating, this book makes an excellent complement to a life science lesson on the human body. It would also work well for a class on healthy living. A table of contents, glossary and index are included.

About this title

About the Author

Marie-Ève Tremblay is a travel junkie who finds inspiration in her trips abroad, be it from nature or situations in everyday life. Her take on the world is full of affection and humor, and her images are set apart by their warm tones, curious candor and gentle whimsy. She has illustrated numerous children's books, as well as for magazines, TV series and much more. Marie-Éve is represented by Colagene, Creative Clinic.

Reviews

Gr 3–6—For readers who are curious about the trillions of microbes they carry around inside and outside their body, this book provides clear information in a friendly, amusing style that is a blast to read. ("Where will you find your collection of microbes? Everywhere! They're inside and outside of you, in your nose and mouth, in your lungs, between your toes, in your hair and eyelashes, and snuggled in the warm hollow behind your ears.") The text, which is divided into spreads, is very easy to navigate. Among the topics covered are the common types of microbes, the importance of microbes to our well-being, why it doesn't make sense to wage war against all microbes, and the work of researchers past and present that contributes to our understanding of them. Each spread consists of a title, written text accompanied by illustrations that are sometimes humorous and sometimes strictly informative, jokes, and a "Did You Know?" sidebar feature that adds humor and additional content. A great deal of science vocabulary is skillfully introduced. A concluding spread provides advice about how to keep your microbiome happy and discusses current research aimed at maintaining a healthy microbiome and even fixing one that has gone wrong. This book is a winning mix of scientific information, humor, and fascinating facts. VERDICT An excellent example of engaging science writing, this title would be a useful mentor text for young science writers and a fine addition to science programs dealing with the topic of the human body.—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

Edition details

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1771383321
• ISBN 13: 9781771383325
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Tremblay Marie-Ève
• Number of pages: 36