Review by Booklist Review
With help from a racially diverse human cast brought in to illustrate sections on reproduction and growing up, the space-suited kitty and his astro-crew host a grand tour of human macro and micro anatomy in this UK import. Beginning with a look at characteristics common to all living things and ending with a peek at medical science's bright future, the survey sails through our major organs and systems, with side trips to explore some surprising topics like dreams, physical impairments, and depression. In the bright retro-futuristic art, glimpses of the bubble-helmeted explorers battling a scowling virus or slogging through puddles of nasal mucus add comical business to the big cutaway and diagrammatic views, making technical terms (synovial fluid, CRISPR) and details in the generous quantities of labels and explanatory notes all the more digestible. Briticisms are sprinkled throughout the text, and generally only in cartoons are eyes golf-ball-sized spheres. Still, the professor's basic information is otherwise reliable, and following a closing spread of random additional Factoroids, a combined index-glossary makes it easily accessible, too.--Peters, John Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-Professor Astro Cat's latest adventure investigates human anatomy and physiology, starring a cartoonish Dr. Walliman (the book's author) as the test subject. Professor Astro Cat and fellow animal friends use special inventions to hone in on (and shrink down and travel into) different parts of Dr. Walliman's body à la Magic School Bus. The crew's survey spans the body's various systems and organs vis-à-vis full-color illustrated diagrams accompanied by small sidebars. The oversize trim size of the book allows for some diagrams to be larger than life, which will delight curious readers. Illustrations show genitalia and bodily functions (such as feces passing through the rectum) in age-appropriate, clinical terms. Definitions and facts are in small black or white print against a colorful background, which can be hard to read at times. Overall, the tone is educational, peppered with several comedic vignettes. However, the text uses the word impairments to describe disabilities-and most of those included are physical disabilities. The short discussion of mental health is commendable. U.S. readers will notice differences in Canadian spellings (for instance, oesophagus) but the content is still relatable. VERDICT Bright, visually driven, and engaging, this adequate survey may be cumbersome to shelve but will be a welcome addition to most collections.-Alec Chunn, Eugene Public Library, OR © Copyright 2018. 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 Kirkus Book Review
Cartoon guide Professor Astrocat and his animal team take readers on an in-depth tour of the major functions and components of the human body.Walliman and Newman have the astro-animals explore the body by using a cartoon version of Walliman himself as the subject. The book starts at the very beginningwhat it means to be aliveand progresses with just enough detail through complicated structures and processes. The astro-animals use some fictionalized devices, such as a " particle reduction' orb," to shrink down and really get inside the body. It's gimmicky but cute, much like the space-suited animals themselves. Overall, the book is very well-organized. Each page or double-page layout is limited to one topic. Newman's illustrations are consistently bold and inviting, and the comic-book look both appeals to young readers and maintains the flow. Some pages do require time to decipher, as with a called-out detail with a cross-section of a tooth that feels dissociated from the overall spread. Fun factoids are included organically. A respectfully scientific approach to reproduction and growing up satisfies curiosity while allowing for follow-up conversation. The final "future science" pages will give eager readers plenty of fascinating topics for further research. Though subject "Walliman" is white, other humans depicted are diverse.This eye-catching book makes the complicated human body much less so while still providing enough detail to allow readers to linger and explore. (combined glossary-index.) (Nonfiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
