Human Body

October 1, 2010
Grades 2-4 This brightly illustrated book introduces many parts and processes of the human body. Aimed at a somewhat younger audience than the publishers earlier Brainwaves series, this volume takes a similar approach, with many separate bits of information appearing on each double-page spread and illustrations that incorporate tiny, playful people (Little Brainwaves, or little people with big ideas) who explore and cavort. The main advantages to the new Little Brainwaves Investigate series are the larger type, the simpler text, and the use of many photos and enlarged digital images in addition to drawings and diagrams. However, the juxtaposition of pictures of vastly different scale gives little sense of comparative size within the illustrations. In each two-page section, such as Cells, tissues, & organs and Nervous system, many separate facts appear in boxed sections and captions. The pages may look busy, but children curious about their bodies will find plenty of intriguing information here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)