Review by Booklist Review
This wonderfully designed book provides an overview of perhaps the most complex scientific topic of all: the human body. Full-color graphs, symbols, maps, cartoons, and flowcharts are the basis of its content, which typifies the emerging genre of infographic-rich nonfiction. Written with the modern tween's propensity for visually represented concepts and strong contextual connections in mind, it includes discussions on a wide range of physiological topics, including genetics, reproduction and human development, the senses, and physical psychology. While illustrations provide the bulk of its content, the book is not devoid of text, as each two-page topic is introduced with a paragraph summarizing the information. (There is also a glossary in the back matter that tackles unfamiliar jargon.) Considering the overwhelming amount of raw information that children are exposed to each day, it only makes sense that they would seek out ways to organize it, and the Picture This books represent successful examples of infographic-heavy, high-interest nonfiction.--Anderson, Erin Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This first book in the Picture This! series uses infographics to delve into the human body. Hynes explains the functions of body parts and systems in clear language ("Under the control of your brain, your muscles contract or relax to move your bones at the joints"), and Crisp makes smart use of charts and visual metaphors to explicate the concepts. A color-coded subway-style diagram shows how blood travels to different areas of the body, while a can of "sweat soda" demonstrates the volume of sweat an adult's feet produce in a typical day. Readers will be left thinking about their bodies in new, unexpected ways. Ages 8-13. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Infographics (symbols, graphs, maps, schematic designs) describe human body systems and functions. Some comparisons are familiar--the nervous system as a communications system--but incomplete; some are simply bizarre--a developing fetus as various pieces of fruit, including a banana. Brightly colored pages are crowded with symbols with little explanation in this confusing introduction. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2014. 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.
