ALA Booklist

%% This is a multi-book review: SEE also the title Bones. %% Gr. 36. Simon once again proves his remarkable facility for making complicated science clear and understandable. These two entries in his series on the human body discuss the two systems that keep our bodies upright and moving, the skeleton and muscles. In Bones Simon explains that despite their lifeless appearance, bones are made of living cells, and he describes each major group of bones, such as the spine, and how they connect (joints) and move (muscles). The muscular system gets its own book as well, where we learn about the voluntary, involuntary, and cardiac muscles. These two books continue the series' outstanding book design, with its large pages using computer-enhanced images as well as photographs and drawings to illustrate points of interest. Giving ample information for report writers, these will also give a young reader a sense of wonder about the marvelous living machine that you are. (Reviewed September 1, 1998)

Horn Book

Muscles appear as mighty mechanical equipment of the human body in this vivid and succinct introduction. Photographs and drawings delineate particular muscles and the overlapping sheets of muscle grouped in several regions of the body, magnifying the muscle surface. This book interconnects particularly well with Simon's earlier titles The Brain and The Heart.

Kirkus Reviews

PLB 0-688-14643-0 Continuing his journey through the human body, Simon (The Brain, 1997, etc.) presents muscles in living color, with dramatic close-up and computer-imaged photographs. <p>PLB 0-688-14643-0 Continuing his journey through the human body, Simon (The Brain, 1997, etc.) presents muscles in living color, with dramatic close-up and computer-imaged photographs. Readers learn about three common muscle types: skeletal, the striated kind; smooth muscles, found lining the stomach and intestines; and the unique cardiac muscle, the heart. Describing each type of muscle, its appearance, location, and function, Simon surprises readers with the facts--that muscles make up forty percent of human body weight, that each muscle is a single cell, and more. While the captions do not explain the degree of magnification used in the photography, the pictures invite readers to explore statements in the text, i.e., the striation of voluntary muscles compared to involuntary muscles, or the proximity of the diaphragm to the rib cage. (Picture book. 10-12) </p>

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-In his instantly recognizable style, Simon addresses the anatomy and function of bones and muscles. Describing bones as being like "the framework of a building," he emphasizes that they are living parts of the body, protecting organs and manufacturing blood cells and platelets. Explanations of joints, fractures, and arthritis are also included. In Muscles, the three kinds of muscle and their functions are discussed. In addition, the effect of exercise and diagnosing injuries are covered. In both books, the full-paged illustrations are great and include full-color photographs, MRI scans, X rays, and excellent drawings. Two more outstanding additions to Simon's resume.-Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, NY