Did you know that your brain has up to 100 billion nerve cells? Wow! What else is going on in your body?

In The Human Body: Get Under the Skin with Science Activities for Kids, middle schoolers learn about the different bodily systems that keep people breathing, moving, thinking, and staying healthy! Kids get a good look at all the action that’s going on right inside their own bodies, from understanding just how that apple turns into energy to how the “leftovers” make their exit.

By studying the circulatory system, the digestive system, muscles, bones, the brain, senses, reproduction system, and more, kids gain a deep understanding of why they can do the things they do and even learn about what they can do to take care of their bodies so they live long and healthy lives. Through science-minded STEM activities, readers see exactly how smoke affects the lungs, how the heart really acts as a liquid pump, and how the different joints are structured and serve different purposes.

MY TAKE: Is there a future doctor in the house? Or maybe you have someone with an interest in knowing what is going on in the fantastic and often taken for granted human body. This new title from Nomad Press fills in all the details from head to toe. Even adults will learn a thing or two.

The book begins with a timeline of human life right up to 2017 where gene therapy is curing a case of sickle cell disease. Eight chapters follow (each with a teacher pleasing essential question). The chapters begin with a cartoon style set of panels of a boy and girl talking about the topic to be explored.

A glossary in the back keeps you straight on the vocabulary (So that’s what a periosteum is!) What I appreciated is not having to go back there every time I needed a full blown definition. A frequent WORDS TO KNOW box brings the word out of the glossary right to the page where it is being covered.  No more thumbing back and forth.

This is no dry textbook approach. Instead readers will enjoy the nice balance of text, drawings and photos. The explanations of each area of the body were the clearest descriptions I’ve ever come across and perfect for the target audience. If you have a QR app on your phone, extend your understanding with videos and articles from the web. The web sites are also listed in the final pages of the book for those who have no access to a QR code reader.

What’s even more fun are the special hands-on activities at the end of each chapter. Make a model ear or your own homemade skin care products are just a sample of the 18 included.

Get a head start this summer on this science based book for kids. You’ll be ahead of your peers when school starts up again in the Fall.