A broad and entertaining (if less than encyclopedic) new definition for gross anatomy.
A doctor-guided tour of our “weird” human body and some of its maladies, aimed at readers who’ll giggle over the suggestion that gluteus maximus was a Roman emperor.
Leaving the titular riff on the classic reference work Gray’s Anatomy unacknowledged, Kay moves from skin-side to inside and back—beginning with the cloud of germs, dead cells, and “farticles” that surround us all, covering anatomical features from internal organs to hair and nails, and closing with a frank, if sometimes giddy, description of the reproductive system (“the male one is mostly on the outside, dangling there like a chandelier”), brisk and sensible remarks about death, and a final sweep past the immune system, allergies, and select good, bad, and “pukey” microbes. Though his coverage is so catch-as-catch-can that he identifies each layer in a tooth and all eight wrist bones but neglects to mention the pituitary or thyroid glands, he does include basic personal hygiene and nutritional guidelines, reassuring comments about acne (“face art”) and other signs of puberty, and strong opinions about smoking, hand-washing, and anti-vaxxers. He also tucks in descriptions of common conditions and diseases, from anxiety and depression to diabetes. Along with labeled cutaway views, Paker’s cartoons pick up on the droll tone with expressive faces on many body parts and germs and sight gags like a stack of tiny elephants posed next to rotated views of the spinal column.
A broad and entertaining (if less than encyclopedic) new definition for gross anatomy. (glossary, index, further information) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-48340-4
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
Hot on the heels of the well-received Leonardo da Vinci (2005) comes another agreeably chatty entry in the Giants of Science series. Here the pioneering physicist is revealed as undeniably brilliant, but also cantankerous, mean-spirited, paranoid and possibly depressive. Newton’s youth and annus mirabilis receive respectful treatment, the solitude enforced by family estrangement and then the plague seen as critical to the development of his thoughtful, methodical approach. His subsequent squabbles with the rest of the scientific community—he refrained from publishing one treatise until his rival was dead—further support the image of Newton as a scientific lone wolf. Krull’s colloquial treatment sketches Newton’s advances in clearly understandable terms without bogging the text down with detailed explanations. A final chapter on “His Impact” places him squarely in the pantheon of great thinkers, arguing that both his insistence on the scientific method and his theories of physics have informed all subsequent scientific thought. A bibliography, web site and index round out the volume; the lack of detail on the use of sources is regrettable in an otherwise solid offering for middle-grade students. (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-05921-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
This glossy, colorful title in the “I Want To Be” series has visual appeal but poor organization and a fuzzy focus, which limits its usefulness. Each double-paged layout introduces a new topic with six to eight full-color photographs and a single column of text. Topics include types of environmentalists, eco-issues, waste renewal, education, High School of Environmental Studies, environmental vocabulary, history of environmentalism, famous environmentalists, and the return of the eagle. Often the photographs have little to do with the text or are marginal to the topic. For example, a typical layout called “Some Alternative Solutions” has five snapshots superimposed on a double-page photograph of a California wind farm. The text discusses ways to develop alternative forms of energy and “encourage environmentally friendly lifestyles.” Photos include “a healer who treats a patient with alternative therapy using sound and massage,” and “the Castle,” a house built of “used tires and aluminum cans.” Elsewhere, “Did You Know . . . ” shows a dramatic photo of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but the text provides odd facts such as “ . . . that in Saudi Arabia there are solar-powered pay phones in the desert?” Some sections seem stuck in, a two-page piece on the effects of “El Niño” or 50 postage-stamp–sized photos of endangered species. The author concludes with places to write for more information and a list of photo credits. Pretty, but little here to warrant purchase. (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-15-201862-X
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000
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