Review by Booklist Review
Why do you laugh and cry? Why do you burp and fart? Why do you see colors? This playful science book introduces the biology of human evolution and behavior with an accessible, interactive text packed with information and wry, bright computer graphics on each spread. The connections go back not only to the earliest humans but onward through time to bacteria and the first living things in our planet's steamy swamps about 3,700 million years ago. Common human behavior, from hiccups to dreaming, began long ago. More recent human ancestors gave us the ability to cry, talk, sing, and crave French fries, and a large brain allowed humans to learn useful skills and transmit knowledge to trusted friends: social networking long before Facebook. The tone occasionally feels overcute, but the wild images from an ape in sunglasses to a three-headed girl (smiling, frowning, and crying) and the detailed text open up astonishing answers to questions readers might never have thought to ask.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Using funny, surreal composite illustrations, Nicolson and Eastman seek to depict a variety of biological facts as incongruent as the images. Exploring what makes humans crave junk food, yawn, cry, see colors, and various other attributes, the author relates the information to evolution and links humans to organisms as early as the first cells on the planet. The artist's playful juxtapositions place a frog's head on a boy's body so readers see the connection between tadpoles breathing air and hiccups. The vocabulary lesson that goes with a discussion of emesis (vomiting) also explains this process as a means of survival. While words like "amygdalae" are defined in context, there is no help with pronunciation. Colorful sidebars explain human oddities, revealing how attributes such as involuntary reflexes related to the survival of early man and continue to impact people today. A three-headed body reveals a frowning, smiling, and questioning face while the text explains how expressions are a language all humans know, but also describes Moebius syndrome. The bizarre image of a baby with a dolphin head may also cause readers to remember the significance of tickling. While the facts are uncommon and occasionally incredible, these are just the types of details that might inspire young fact hounds.-Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library (c) Copyright 2011. 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
Nicolson asks and answers twenty-three questions (e.g., "Why do your eyes face forward?" "Why do you love pets?"), exploring human quirks such as hiccupping, yawning, farting, vomiting, laughing, and crying. A brief scenario engages readers and focuses each explanation. Computer-generated illustrations, often combining human and animal features (e.g., a girl with a bunny-rabbit head), reflect the volume's humor and subtly underscore evolutionary science. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
