Reviews

Gr 4-8-One hundred+ experiments, ranging from simple to very complicated, designed to help children understand how their bodies work. Most of the materials are readily available, although not every home has a microscope. The directions are clearly written and easy to follow. Adult supervision is frequently suggested. Cells, skeleton, skin, muscles, lungs and breathing, eating and digestion, circulation, nerves, senses, and reproduction are among the subjects covered. Each section has an introduction, and then related individual topics are explained on double-page spreads. Full-color photographs show attractive youngsters taking part in the activities; well-labeled diagrams and historical prints help clarify the text. The seven-page glossary has additional information and a few diagrams that cannot be found in the index. A commendable entry to supplement other books on how the body works.-Martha Gordon, formerly at South Salem Library, NY

This exhaustive account of the body's senses, organs, etc., is clearly and handsomely presented in the Dorling Kindersley style. The book was designed and edited by DK, in fact, and a few of the headings bear slightly starchy British phrasings (``Transport and maintenance,'' ``Taste expectations''). As its subtitle indicates, the volume-largely because of some advanced text-will work best when shared by grown-up and child; indeed, many of the numerous experiments caution ``adult help is advised.'' But all curious minds are sure to be intrigued by these carefully outlined projects, whether as comparatively sophisticated as making fingerprints or as simple as comparing the color of hands after one has been held in the air and the other in a low position (the altered blood flow darkens the lower hand, lightens the upper one). Copious drawings, charts and photographs enhance and clarify the material; a seven-page glossary defines unfamiliar terms. A lot of vital data to consume here: see ``Eating and Digestion,'' p. 80. All ages. (Aug.)