THE MOST AMAZING MACHINE

Dunckle offers an introduction to the different functions of the brain in this picture book.

In lilting rhymes, the author addresses the organ that controls everything in the human body. She likens it to a “busy train station”—a depot through which everything passes. However, not all trains are alike, and neither are all brains, which can “have different sizes or parts….Connectors are there, and they’re all working hard…but tracks may be bumpy, or pathways are barred.” Not every brain solves problems the same way, or even at all, notes the narration. However, each one is unique and thus moves at its own speed, working hard while bringing something special into the world. Dunckle’s debut picture book is a high-level explanation of the central nervous system and a celebration of neurodiversity. The vocabulary is simple enough for a kindergartner, and the work’s railway similes and path metaphors are constructive in how they explain different brains’ methods of approaching tasks. In the same vein, Runyan’s full-color cartoon illustrations include not only a variety of children with various skin tones, but also a rainbow—a well-known symbol of neurodivergence.

A basic but elegant survey for young readers of the many versions of the human brain.