Your 206 Bones, 32 Teeth, and Other Body Math

Children's Literature - Amy S. Hansen

Your body can be a regular math machine. In this funny and factual addition to the "National Geographic Science Chapters" series, O'Sullivan sets out to count on a body: number of heart beats per minute, number of cells, number of bones for babies (300), for adults (206). With intriguing photos of kids at play, this is one of the best of the series. The series is an exciting group of nonfiction titles for early readers, some of which are revised from other National Geographic titles. In this case, the topic is counting and body systems. Occasionally the vocabulary outpaces the intended audience, but most words are defined both in the text and in the glossary. At the end of this book and others in the series National Geographic spends two pages explaining the basics of report writing. Readers are instructed to go through seven steps, from choosing a topic "neither too big nor too small," to handing in the finished report. While a bit simplified, this is surely useful information. Other back matter includes a glossary, a list of further sources, and an index.