Your Amazing Digestion from Mouth through Intestine

June 1, 2019
What happens to food / once it's been chewed. There's plenty of attention to chemical interactions and anatomical detail in these poems for all that they are cast in iambic couplets. They begin with the internal odyssey of a pizza slice, then go on to answer a number of pressing questions, from "Why Does Chili Make Me Sweat?" to "Why Does My Urine Come Out Yellow?" Breaking into prose for side comments and "Cool Facts" as she goes, Settel also covers such tasty topics as how laughing can make milk come out one's nose, why garlic breath is so hard to get rid of, the ins and outs of farts and burps, the many uses of saliva, and the roles of various organs in digestion: "The liver's bile is needed too, / as small intestines do not do / too well digesting fat without / a squirt of bile to help them out." Björkman's cartoons, all bright colors and loose, fluid lines, add a diversely hued cast of young folk exuberantly chowing down, throwing up, looking amazed or grossed out, and posing as models for labeled internal views. The bulky glossary and equally dense bibliography piled up at the end aim high; younger readers may find the five-item list of online animations and videos more palatable. From plate to poop, / the inside scoop. What's not to love? (index) (Informational poetry. 6-10)

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August 2, 2019

Gr 4-7-Rhyming one's way through the digestive system is a lot more casual than most researchers might expect, but Settel's work is both engaging to read and chock-full of facts. Terms that might be unfamiliar are in bold type and are well defined in an extensive glossary. Meanwhile, there are nifty bits about that slice of pizza you ingested so cavalierly (composition, nutritive values, and passage through to the end-yes, that end.) Interspersed with the rhyming text are non-rhyming pages of "Cool Facts" with solid details on such goodies as one's liver and one's sense of taste. Settel doesn't hesitate to discuss the less polite items such as stinky breath and farts, and (gasp!) urine and feces. There are lots of enticing bits to hold children's interest through the somewhat drier sections on what is transpiring as the chyme hits the road through the entrails; and before readers know it they have followed food from ingestion to elimination and are happily wiser than they were at the start. Björkman's colorful cartoon illustrations keep perfect time with Settel's chirpy, informative text. The lucid glossary is rounded out by research sites and a packed list of references and additional readings. VERDICT An informative romp in an unexpected playground!-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 12, 2019
“Digestion’s an amazing feat!/ It transforms all the food you eat.” Writing almost entirely in verse, Settel takes readers on a fascinating, fact-filled tour of the digestive system. Organized into five parts, the book considers nutrition, tasting, swallowing, “gurgling, gassy stomach soup,” and waste. Narrative sidebars featuring “cool facts” appear throughout, while small sections explore concepts by responding to imagined questions posed by children. Settel remarkably manages to maintain the text’s rhyme structure without sacrificing scientific detail or vocabulary (later emphasized with a detailed glossary). She also doesn’t shy away from tackling the grosser aspects of digestion (diarrhea, vomiting, and farting all find their place). Björkman’s pen, ink, and watercolor scenes break up the text and counterbalance the book’s advanced content with exaggerated humor. A one-stop rhyming shop for all things digestion. Ages 8–up.