Reference - Encyclopedias, Anatomy & Physiology

Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia

Name: Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia
Author: Richard Walker
ISBN: 9780753451779

by Richard Walker, Roy Palmer

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Overview

This informative and activity-filled reference introduces younger children to human biology in a lively and accessible way. The book's thematic structure makes it easy for young readers to understand the various systems and organs that make up the body. Dozens of activities and experiments, including - Keeping a food diary (to analyze diet) - provide children with the opportunity to reinforce newly learned information. Full-color spreads address the questions that fascinate children, such as: What are we made of?, Why do we need to sleep?, and How do we breathe? A reference section at the back of the book includes a glossary, an index, and an 'Amazing facts' section. Special Features: Over 1,000 appealing, colorful photographs and illustrations. Clear and easy-to-understand definitions. Related activities and projects. Vocabulary carefully chosen for the 5-8 yr. reading level. Cross-references encourage further exploration.

An illustrated introduction to the different parts of the human body and how they work.

Synopsis

Children's Literature

If you are planning on purchasing only one new human body reference book this year for your children's collection, try this informative single volume encyclopedia. It successfully combines a simple text with well-labeled illustrations. There are more than five hundred color diagrams, photographs, and drawings. There are many suggested interactive activities and experiments which are appropriate for classroom or home. The activities are perfect for elementary school lesson plans. For example, mix salt and sugar together, then sift the mixture through a sieve to demonstrate how and why a human kidney sifts blood to lose water and keep nutrients. It is a solid choice for teachers, librarians, and parents. A thematic table of contents, glossary and index make it easy to access information.

About the Author, Richard Walker

Richard Walker is an award-winning author of books about natural history and human biology for both children and adults, including Kingfisher Knowledge: Microscopic Life. He has a Ph.D. in zoology. As a former biology teacher he has a practical understanding of the importance of accessible reference materials. Dr. Roy Palmer qualified in medicine at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital in London, England, and holds an honors degree in physiological sciences from Oxford University. Dr. Palmer has worked in several fields of hospital medicine and is a member of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK.

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Wendy Pollock-Gilson

Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Earning high marks for visual appeal, this introduction to human anatomy features photos of bright-faced children posed on every page, along with plenty of informative, color-enhanced views of insides and outsides. The arrangement is topical, tending toward the one-topic-per-spread format but with larger subjects given more space; one spread is devoted to the structure of the human hand, the nervous system gets four (five if you count one on "Sleep"), and reproduction, from "Egg and Sperm" to "Similarities," takes up six. The text is blocked into scattered paragraphs of, at most, a half dozen sentences, and for all its brevity is pleasantly precise and specific, e.g., "In the cortex and medulla [of the kidney] there are about one million tiny filtering units called nephrons." Each spread includes cross-references, and many also feature simple demonstrations or activities. Concluding with a gathering of surprising facts, a glossary, a three-page quiz ("Your lungs are spongy because they are filled with millions of tiny air bags called: a) alveoli; b) ravioli; c) aioli"), and a spare but not perfunctory index, this engaging alternative to Steve Parker's Human Body (DK, 1993) and like surveys will enhance young inquirers' understanding of, and appreciation for, their marvelous bodies.-John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

From The Critics

This richly illustrated book with numerous color illustrations and photographs introduces the human body to young people and provides activities children can participate in to learn more about the body. The volume covers all of the body systems, with a special section on things that children would be more interested in, such as hair, seeing and hearing, breathing and eating, and why children look like their parents. Nearly every page has some activity that a child could do to illustrate the items being discussed on the page. The children shown in the book represent the spectrum found in a typical classroom, including individuals with disabilities. All are shown engaged in activities that relate to the information being presented. Younger children will find the pictures themselves very interesting, and those same pictures can provide the basis for adult explanations. Older children will be able to read and interact with the book on their own. At $16.95, the book would be a very worthwhile addition to a library collection for children or for parents and children to share as part of a home library. Highly Recommended, Grades PreK-Grade 8. REVIEWER: Dr. Judith Kasperek (Pitt Community College)