Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 5-8. Though young people already spend plenty of time gazing at faces, other people's and their own, this book offers them the means to look with a more objective eye. Topics include the evolutionary development of the face, individual features, how people and computers recognize faces, medical conditions dealing with facial recognition and mobility, and facial markings--from ancient Egyptian face painting to Maori tattoos to Tlingit ear piercing. One intriguing section explains how photos of missing children are updated to show how the kids might look as they get older. Jackson presents a good deal of information in a lively, effective manner; the format is attractive; the jacket illustration, featuring a child's face, is a knockout; and the color photos work well with the text. An eye-opening book on an unusual topic --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Using clear and understandable language, Jackson explains the physiology of facial features, their evolution, and their roles in survival and communication. She discusses the reasons why there are variations in features among races and how babies' faces endear them to their caregivers, thereby encouraging nurturing. A particularly interesting section deals with forensic techniques of modeling age progression in young children in cases of abduction. Also covered are prosopagnosia (a disorder that prevents people from recognizing faces, even those of family members and their own images) and Moebius Syndrome (a nerve disorder that prevents individuals from controlling their facial muscles, thus inhibiting smiling, blinking, and eye movement). Face painting, tattooing, and other cultural beauty enhancements are also mentioned. The final chapter deals with prosthetic parts, such as ears, and how they are made. With its well-captioned and colorful photos, logical organization, interesting topics, and profusion of ideas and information, this thin volume offers an unusual array of scientific and cultural concepts. The references within the text to various research studies show children how scientists obtain information and that studies can have contradicting conclusions. This book is an asset for any collection. Pair it with the Faces volume in Looking at Art (Grolier, 1996) to see how visages have been depicted in paintings from the Renaissance to the present.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) Despite teleological underpinnings (""Nature makes infants especially appealing so adults will nurture them until they can survive on their own"") muddying the science in this account, Jackson ably leads young readers to consider their faces and expressions, both as personal identifiers and as markers for socialization. She details the ways in which people of different cultures decorate their faces (including painting, tattooing, and piercing); the process of reconstructing facial parts or creating expressions for individuals with Moebius Syndrome; and the condition of prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Breadth of coverage substitutes for depth, giving the text a lively tempo and the reader many points to consider for additional inquiry. Chapters are independent of one another, although Jackson's easy journalistic style and her engaging subject may well move children to extend an initial browsing to more substantial reading. Photographs -- particularly those that show the aging process or the steps taken to identify missing children from early childhood photographs -- not only support the text but also invite youngsters into the book. Suggested readings and websites, a glossary, source notes, and an index round out the account. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Jackson offers an illuminating "Tour De Face" that pauses at each feature, lips to hair, for a look at its function and variations, then goes on to examine how we recognize faces, how our faces change to reflect age or emotion, and how and why people alter their looks. Along the way, she interviews scientists, introduces people with some uncommon disabilities, and closes with a look at the work of an anaplastologist--a maker of prosthetic ears, eyes, and other facial parts. The author skips past some topics, such as elective plastic surgery, and is rather stingy with photos, but she makes a lively tour guide nonetheless, and leaves young readers with both leads to further information, and a keener appreciation for that amazing set of organs they see in the mirror every morning. (bibliography, glossary, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 8-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
