That's What You Think!: A Mind-Boggling Guide to the Brain

This book provides insightful, easy-to-follow answers to children's questions about the brain accompanied by fun, enlightening photographs. We use our brains every day, but how do they actually control our thoughts, our movements, and our feelings? Does the brain turn itself off at night? Can people who research the brain read minds? In That's What You Think!, experts respond to 80 questions posed by children about the brain. Their answers explore how our brains develop, what they are made of, and how they work. They reveal astounding information and facts not only about the human brain, but also about the gray matter of earthworms, ants, and sperm whales. The images created by Jan von Holleben capture our personal control rooms in action--as we taste, get scared, study, juggle, and sleepwalk. These fun, enlightening photographs clearly demonstrate that even when we do nothing at all, our brains are hard at work.

Gr 5–7—Devoted to the nervous system's central command, the brain, this well-designed European contribution is both subtle and engaging. The authors cover memory, consciousness, the effects of nutrition, and changes in the brain, among other topics. Each section within these chapters begins with a question ("Which Animal Has the Biggest Brain?" "Where Does Our Brain Store Foreign Languages"), followed by a thorough answer. The authors don't hesitate to broach somewhat difficult topics, such as Alzheimer's disease, brain damage, and concussions. The text is broken up with quirky photographs of children in action or of relevant objects ("Can Plants Think?" is accompanied by an image of flowers sporting eyeglasses, while "Could a Brain Ever Grow Bigger than a Head?" features a picture of a boy with a gigantic green balloon over his head). The Hertie Foundation, the biggest private funder of brain research in Germany, provided much of the funding and research that went into the book. This title contains no index, so using it for an assignment might be difficult. However, it provides clear and concise material that any science-inspired student would find engaging and informative. VERDICT Those looking to beef up their nervous system sections should consider this unique offering. Readers won't find anything comparable this side of the Atlantic.—Keith Klang, Port Washington Public Library, NY