Janice VanCleave's Play and find out about the human body

Ages 4^-6, with adult help. The latest in the prolific author's Play and Find Out series gives youngsters a peek at how their bodies work. "Why can I see my breath when it's cold?" "Where does the food I eat go?" and other such simple questions, expressed in cartoon thought balloons, provide the impetus for equally simple experiments, which are ideal for children to do with parents or even with older siblings. A few experiments stray a bit from the question at hand, but most, whether involving drawing diagrams to turn into models or hands-on science activities accomplished with easy-to-gather materials, will be both fun and informative. A concise explanation of what has gone on and a few additional activity suggestions follow each experiment. VanCleave also provides section summaries and a glossary. --Stephanie Zvirin

PreS-Gr 2‘This well-organized collection of experiments is based on questions children ask about their bodies. Chapters cover skin, hair, the skeleton, circulation, respiration, digestion, and senses. Each activity starts with an inquiry posed by a perky cartoon drawing of a child: "I wonder...Why do I get scabs?" or "I wonder...Why do I have hair on my body?" The simply written directions are easy to follow while uncomplicated black-and-white line illustrations show exactly how to do them. The expected results are clearly explained. Many of the questions have more than one activity. The materials, for the most part, are everyday things such as straws or jars. A few of the projects take place over time, and it might be hard to keep younger children interested. A "Before You Begin" section treats safety considerations and gives adults general ideas on how to carry out the experiments and make them meaningful to youngsters, while an appendix offers a more complete discussion of the concepts. Some of these experiments are included in other books about the body, but this is still a good resource for early-education teachers and for parents of homeschoolers or curious children.‘Martha Gordon, formerly at South Salem Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.