How It Works: How the Body Works

More than nine hundred vivid photographs, full-color illustrations, and clear diagrams accompany more than one hundred experiments, projects, and activities that help readers of all ages discover how the organs and systems of the human body work. 75,000 first printing.

Grade 4-8-One hundred+ experiments, ranging from simple to very complicated, designed to help children understand how their bodies work. Most of the materials are readily available, although not every home has a microscope. The directions are clearly written and easy to follow. Adult supervision is frequently suggested. Cells, skeleton, skin, muscles, lungs and breathing, eating and digestion, circulation, nerves, senses, and reproduction are among the subjects covered. Each section has an introduction, and then related individual topics are explained on double-page spreads. Full-color photographs show attractive youngsters taking part in the activities; well-labeled diagrams and historical prints help clarify the text. The seven-page glossary has additional information and a few diagrams that cannot be found in the index. A commendable entry to supplement other books on how the body works.
Martha Gordon, formerly at South Salem Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This exhaustive account of the body's senses, organs, etc., is clearly and handsomely presented in the Dorling Kindersley style. The book was designed and edited by DK, in fact, and a few of the headings bear slightly starchy British phrasings ("Transport and maintenance," "Taste expectations"). As its subtitle indicates, the volume-largely because of some advanced text-will work best when shared by grown-up and child; indeed, many of the numerous experiments caution "adult help is advised." But all curious minds are sure to be intrigued by these carefully outlined projects, whether as comparatively sophisticated as making fingerprints or as simple as comparing the color of hands after one has been held in the air and the other in a low position (the altered blood flow darkens the lower hand, lightens the upper one). Copious drawings, charts and photographs enhance and clarify the material; a seven-page glossary defines unfamiliar terms. A lot of vital data to consume here: see "Eating and Digestion," p. 80. All ages.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4-7. Every bit as exceptional as Burnie's How Nature Works (1991), this stellar book teaches children about the human body through experiments that can be replicated in the classroom or at home. Distinctive in look (it was designed and edited by Dorling Kindersley), it uses page after page of brightly colored, carefully sequenced photographs to demonstrate the experiments. Boxed insets introduce important scientists in the field and supply a wealth of intriguing anecdotes and information (some of it not readily accessible in books for this age group). Nicely colored, fully labeled diagrams and cutaways (and a few magnified photos) allow readers to "see inside" themselves. Topically arranged, the chapters encompass all systems of the body. A chapter entitled "The Body's Life Cycle" introduces concepts related to reproduction (no experiments) and growth. The experiments, which have been selected with obvious care, vary greatly in difficulty. Because most beg for discussion and many suggest adult supervision (a few are recommended strictly for grown-ups to perform as children look on), having an adult nearby is a plus. Tools and equipment needed are usually laid out in pictorial form, and Parker's instructions, thorough and easy to follow, are made even more approachable thanks to the well-sequenced pictures. What better way to make the study of the human body interesting than to base the process on hands-on fun? Stephanie Zvirin