What makes your body work? by Gill Arbuthnott&nbsp;&nbsp; <br>

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Ill. by Marc Mones. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781472908865
(Age: 9-11) This is a subject every youngster is curious about, themselves and their body. This book gives the reader information about various systems and parts of the body, as well as activities to demonstrate the points made. It will be a useful addition to the bookshelf for Primary students or Teachers looking for simple information and experiments.
The brightly coloured pages have simplified textual information accompanied by either labelled diagrams, as in a cross section of the human skin, or engaging coloured cartoon styled children adding information in speech bubbles. The text helps younger students understand by making comparisons to familiar objects, such as the blood system related to different sized roads and the surface area of the villi in the gut equating to a tennis court.
'Try it Yourself' sections accompany almost all chapters giving easy step by step instructions for the reader to follow, and an explanation of what they should observe. If equipment is needed simple diagrams accompany the description.
Thankfully, there are some chapters at the end under the heading 'You can't try it yourself' which include the urinary, reproductive, hormone and immune systems.
The inclusion of a glossary and some websites, of British origin, to enable the young researcher to gather more information adds depth to the information given. An index enables a quick search when looking for a specific word, while the contents page gives an easy reference to each chapter.
Sue Keane

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