Two Books for Kids about the Human Body

Human Body Lift-The-Flap by Susie Brooks, illustrated by Anthony Lewis

This is a short (just 16 pages) interactive picture book about the human body designed to answer what are probably a child's most frequently asked questions about their own anatomy and physiology.  The first two pages give an overall picture of the body and why each part is important and necessary.  This is followed by two pages on the brain, then two more on the body's skeleton, followed by the heart, the lungs, how the body uses food as fuel, our senses and finally our skin.  Each page comes with flaps that can be lifted for more focused information.  There are 50 flaps altogether.

It isn't a complicated book and the information is kept to a manageable level for the reader, but does answer those initial questions kids have as they become more aware of their own bodies.  I thought it was a nice introduction to the topic of the human body without overwhelming the young reader, although they might not like the board book format.

I wasn't crazy about the lift-the-flap part of the book because my Kiddo isn't so old that I can't remember what ultimately happened to those kinds of books. but I know kids love them.  And most likely, by the time the flaps are gone, the reader will have moved on (but too bad for the younger sibling who will inherit a flap book with no flaps).  I did like the illustrations - they are bright and energetic and wonderfully diverse (except for the last page at the seashore where I would have liked to have seen more diversity).   On the whole, I thought this was a pretty good book for kids about the human body.

This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was borrowed from a friend

This book will be available on April 8, 2014

WOW! Surprising Facts About the Human Body by Emma Dods, illustrated by Marc Aspinall

After your young readers have mastered some knowledge about the human body, it's time for them (and even you) to have some fun and discover more things about the body.  For instance, did you know that your thumb and your nose are the same length?

This book is loaded with all kinds of trivia about the body - some really interesting facts, some really gross facts and some funny ones, but all of them are fascinating.  The facts are loosely grouped by subject, and each page has colorful, energetic, whimsical illustrations.  This is the kind of book that will keep kids reading and the kinds of facts that they will no doubt dazzle you with at the dinner table. I remember loving books like this as a child, as did my Kiddo.

I found the pages a little busy, but not annoyingly so.  I did like that the people in the illustrations were widely diverse.  There is even an picture of a girl in a wheelchair that has nothing to do with the theme  on the page, which happens to be hair and nails.

This is in interesting romp though the human body, though I did wonder where author Emma Dods got all her information.  Still, it is a book that will entertain kids with facts they can then take to the schoolyard and amaze their friends with.

This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book was borrowed from a friend.

These are books 3 and 4 of my 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Reading Challenge hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy