Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Rhatigan describes the different ways in which humans become sick or injured, along with how the human body reacts and what can be done to help the healing process. An appropriate disclaimer cautions readers that the book is not intended to be used for self-diagnosis and encourages children to seek an adult when something is wrong. The medical information and terms are clearly explained. Colorful chapter and topic headings nicely organize the information into logical sections. Rhatigan covers parts of the body, bacteria and viruses, poisonous plants, bruises, bleeding, and more. In addition to including the symptoms, the author details how a doctor would treat the problem. Ways to prevent the illness/injury from getting worse are noted, along with a somewhat subjective scale rating the levels of pain readers might feel when experiencing each medical issue. A hefty combination of photographs, diagrams, and drawings augments the informative text, but not all the images are captioned. Owsley uses lots of color in his expressive, playful, and at times cartoon artwork. Unfortunately, the appended glossary does not give pronunciations for terms. The helpful index and table of contents, however, are a plus. Rhatigan and Owsley transform what could be a dry subject into a lively, educational read for children who are curious about common ailments and injuries.-Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron, OH (c) Copyright 2013. 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
A short introduction leads to two larger sections: one explaining basic human anatomy and types of infections, the second covering common ailments and injuries (bruises, burns, fevers, etc.) The tone is breezy and reassuring, not overburdened with details. Frequent cartoon illustrations, close-up color photos, and diagrams add visual appeal. The type is quite small, and tinier-still captions are easy to miss. 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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A compendium of low-key medical information for the upper grade school set. Got a headache? A rash? A pulled muscle or a sprained ankle? Disease by disease and injury by injury, this basic medical text takes young readers through various ailments, breaking each one down into a simple explanation of the problem. There's "First Response"--what the child can do to help alleviate the situation; "What Your Doctor Does"--which sometimes includes the advice that a doctor may not be necessary in many cases; "What Your Body Does"--the physiological response to the problem; and "What You Can Do to Prevent"--common-sense health and safety advice. Often-humorous cartoon illustrations are featured on nearly every spread, along with high-quality color photographs of various ailments (sprained ankle, conjunctivitis, etc.). Each section includes an "Ouch! Pain Scale," a facial icon that indicates the degree of pain caused, although some offer such a range as to seem superfluous. While the explanations are basic and utilize kid-friendly words like germs, puke and poop, this effort also offers solid information, including terms like granulocytes and phagocytosis. These trickier words are defined clearly in the text and included in an extensive glossary. Unfortunately, no references are included. Photo captions are presented in a small, pale orange, italicized text that's challenging to read. A generally attractive and entertaining medical reference that will appeal to inquiring minds. (Nonfiction. 8-11)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
