ALA Booklist (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

The creative team behind A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars (2017) turns from astronomical bodies to the human body. Rather than concentrate on anatomy, this informational picture book focuses on energy in the body. Still keeping a star theme, it states, "You are a walking, breathing, laughing, singing SHINING STAR." The narrative follows an African American girl through exuberant, dreamlike scenes in her home, school, community, and beyond as it explains how human bodies use and require energy. While a double-page spread offers bone and muscle facts, the text becomes motivational, encouraging readers to refuel their growing and expanding minds. Through rest, exercise, eating well, making friends, reading books, and questioning the world, we give our bodies and minds the energy they need. Returning to stars, the final illustration shows the girl in the glow of a large sun, with a reminder that both "light up the world." A concluding author's note explains the concept of energy in more detail. An inspirational companion to traditional health books and mindfulness activities.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

This broad-strokes introduction to human physiology explains how energy powers all the body's processes. The text presents information with clarity, humor, and wonder. Greenberg's digital illustrations match the celebratory tone, with a brown-skinned girl with two puffball pigtails at the forefront. The color-saturated spreads play with pace and scale, and motifs of light and energy waves radiate from the pages. An author's note offers further explanation about how energy works.

Kirkus Reviews

Math and science enthusiasts, this one's for you!Fishman and Greenberg, the author and illustrator team of A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars (2017), take readers on a journey through the amazing human body, noting that a pinkie finger "has enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world for an entire day." This informational book explains how the body produces, expends, and recharges energy through such activities as eating, sleeping, and exercising. The author's note at the end focuses not on what the characters have been doing throughout the book but on Einstein's equation E=mc2. In child-friendly language, the note explains what an equation is, how Einstein used this one to solve tough problems, and how all of this relates to the body's energy. While this book could effectively be used in school lessons about energy, kids likely study Einstein's equation much later in school than this book's target audience. Greenberg's multicultural cast of characters models different aspects of the body's use of energy, the primary character being a black girl with her hair in two puffballs. While most of the characters have strangely angular features, the stark color contrasts and interesting facts will keep readers engaged. Parents and kids alike will appreciate the book's exhortation to stay curious.A fresh, scientific look at one aspect of the incredible human body. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

School Library Journal (Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Gr 1-3 Fishman begins this work with an unbelievable but true statement about how there is enough energy in a person's pinkie finger to power a large city for an entire day. From there the text segues into an exploration of energy, from the stamina it takes to read a book to running, and how our bodies recharge through eating, sleeping, and exercise. At the end of the book, there is an author's note that explains how Einstein's famous equation can be used to find exactly how much energy is inside a pinkie finger. Complete with colorful digital illustrations that highlight the learning points throughout the book, this is a great introduction to human physiology that affirms just how special our bodies are. The author manages to get across the basics without bogging down the text with too much technical language, making it accessible to younger readers interested in science. VERDICT A solid, upbeat addition to nonfiction shelves. Jayna Ramsey, Douglas County Libraries in Parker, CO