Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books (2008), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 336 pages
Description
Explores the complex inner workings of the human body in a visual study of anatomy and physiology that ranges from the cells that form the building blocks of the body, to the individual organs and systems and how they function.
User reviews
LibraryThing member nathanmannn
In this book David Macaulay explores the fascinations of the body in an interesting and engaging way. He starts with the building blocks of our anatomy and ends with continuity of life through reproduction. The story winds through cells starts with cells and goes through the circulatory system and
Show More
oxygen, on to organs and the brain, bacteria, muscle and the skeleton, and finally reproduction. Macaulay once again displays to us his thoroughness in research and his adeptness in relating a topic to us in great detail both in the text and the illustrations. Show Less
LibraryThing member kls058
A longer book that tells about the body, and how it works. Great for science. Could plan a math lesson with the book.
LibraryThing member aab018
This is a story about how machines operate. He tells how our body work. How we use all parts of our body our feet, our hands and why it is important. He also tells about the different systems in your body, circulatory, respiratory through color pencil drawings.
LibraryThing member caitlinbennison
Much like The Way Things Work, David Macaulay's new book explains the way our bodies work and why.
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Interesting - well, Macaulay always is - discussion of the biological machine, particularly human beings (though there's some mention of other mammals, as comparatives). My biggest takeaway was just how complicated and Rube-Goldberg our structure is! Everyone knows that electrical signals travel
Show More
along nerves to pass sensation to the brain (and other areas) and motion orders back down. But I never knew that the electricity flows along our nerves by triggering release of certain salts, which both allow the electricity to flow onward and themselves trigger the release of different salts that block backflow, so the electricity only goes one way. Then both salts are reabsorbed and the nerve is ready for the next signal, in either direction. Definitely doing it the hard way...but meat is not particularly suited to electrical flow, so this mixed electrical and chemical system has to step in. Different sections discuss different structures in the body - the bones (skeletal system), nerves (nervous system) and brain, blood (circulatory system), intestines (digestive system)... and how the different systems interact and inter-relate. Among other things, the body's response to damage and invasion is discussed - disease and infection and how the immune system reacts, then a slight detour into allergies and auto-immune diseases, where the immune system attacks the body it belongs to. There's a lot of very complex information in there, in both textual and visual form (very few mammoths, though) - it would certainly reward rereading. Show Less
LibraryThing member themulhern
Another outstanding work by David Macaulay. Illustrations very much in the style of "The Way Things Work".
LibraryThing member robynbelmont
Macaulay takes readers on a journey through every system of the human body, accompanying researched text with amazingly accurate illustrations. Macaulay addresses both how and why questions about human bodies in this book, wording everything in an organized and easy to understand fashion. He goes
Show More
into detail about specific part of the body, and how those parts help everything else function properly. Show Less
LibraryThing member airdnaxela
This is a book I would also love to have in my own collection because if offers direct and simple descriptions of biological processes that are constantly taking place on the microscopic level. It is a book with large images that all children would enjoy to conceptualize and to help make sense of
Show More
these complex processes. I appreciate Macaulay's organization of topics and the imaginative illustrations which represent magnificent views into our own bodies. Show Less
Awards
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Honor — Nonfiction — 2009)
Parents' Choice Book Award (2008)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Science & Technology — 2009)
Notable Children's Book (2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
336 p.; 11 inches
ISBN
0618233784 / 9780618233786
Local notes
The seven sections within the book take us from the cells that form our foundation to the individual systems they build. Each beautifully illustrated spread details different aspects of our complex structure, explaining the function of each and offering up-close glimpses, unique cross-sections and perspectives, and even a little humor along the way.