ANATOMY FOR BABIES

A useful book in the “science for babies” genre that, for once, isn’t way over baby’s head…or shoulders, knees, and toes, either.

Some science board books for toddlers are so relentlessly ambitious they seem aimed at caregivers hellbent on producing the next baby Einstein rather than at kids, but anatomy is a subject in which most any child takes a natural interest. New arrivals to the world typically begin their explorations by investigating their own bodies first. Fittingly, the first body parts named herein are the aforementioned head, shoulders, knees, and toes of the classic children’s song. As an adorably rendered, racially diverse cast of toddlers models each body part under discussion, simple, clear, and enthusiastic statements guide children from the outer extremities to the mysteries within. “Your body is amazing! Think of all the things it can do… // You have a lot of bones!”—as a lab-coated professional X-rays the chest of a child, revealing the ribcage—“They support and protect your body.” The book introduces the brain, muscles (they “help your body move”), and skin (it “keeps your insides in”). The lungs and cardiovascular system are described in easily grasped terms, as is the alimentary canal, the concept of taking energy from food, and eliminating waste (potty-trainees, take note). A description of the senses and sense organs follows.

Instructive and not overwhelming—just right! (Board book. 1-4)