In Your Head, In Your Chest, In Your Abdomen, In Your Legs--for the many kids who wonder what's in there, this book is just what they need. Heading off each section is a double-page-spread illustration of the highlighted area of the body, with an overlay allowing children to see how its various parts fit together. Then the usual DK format kicks in: cropped and cutaway photos (many highly magnified) and diagrams arranged in a seemingly random fashion across each themed double-page spread, accompanied by tightly worded captions explaining and expanding briefly on the content of the pictures. The section, In Your Chest, for example, comprises spreads on the heart, the bloodstream, and the lungs. There's a good deal of information here--in bits and snatches--and some of the magnified photos are extraordinary. But the pages often seem cluttered; perhaps that's because the Day-Glo colors of the tinted photos detract from subject matter, which doesn't need a lot of brilliant coloring to make it fascinating. Intriguing information for browsing to partner with more traditional books on the human body.

Created by Simon Basher. Written by Dan Green. Section titles such as "Musculoskeletal Meatheads" and "Nervous Numskulls" demonstrate the tone of this breezy little book. From cells to organs and body systems, the pun-heavy text superficially touches on a wide variety of body-centric topics; facing pages include manga-type illustrations in lollipop colors. Most sections begin and end with three bulleted facts. The important connections between organs and systems go unexplained. Glos., ind.

Gr 4-8 This clever, well-illustrated romp doesn't mince words, but gives students the straight truth about even the most unpleasant functions of the human body. The colorful cartoons accompanying each explanation are somewhat representative; although they are not anatomically accurate in every case, they do help get the key concepts across. The book is divided into sections based on systems, so kids could skip to just what they are interested in or browse through the whole book. This is a fun introduction to how the human body works. Robin Henry, Wakeland High School, Frisco, TX