A broad and entertaining (if less than encyclopedic) new definition for gross anatomy.
A doctor-guided tour of our “weird” human body and some of its maladies, aimed at readers who’ll giggle over the suggestion that gluteus maximus was a Roman emperor.
Leaving the titular riff on the classic reference work Gray’s Anatomy unacknowledged, Kay moves from skin-side to inside and back—beginning with the cloud of germs, dead cells, and “farticles” that surround us all, covering anatomical features from internal organs to hair and nails, and closing with a frank, if sometimes giddy, description of the reproductive system (“the male one is mostly on the outside, dangling there like a chandelier”), brisk and sensible remarks about death, and a final sweep past the immune system, allergies, and select good, bad, and “pukey” microbes. Though his coverage is so catch-as-catch-can that he identifies each layer in a tooth and all eight wrist bones but neglects to mention the pituitary or thyroid glands, he does include basic personal hygiene and nutritional guidelines, reassuring comments about acne (“face art”) and other signs of puberty, and strong opinions about smoking, hand-washing, and anti-vaxxers. He also tucks in descriptions of common conditions and diseases, from anxiety and depression to diabetes. Along with labeled cutaway views, Paker’s cartoons pick up on the droll tone with expressive faces on many body parts and germs and sight gags like a stack of tiny elephants posed next to rotated views of the spinal column.
A broad and entertaining (if less than encyclopedic) new definition for gross anatomy. (glossary, index, further information) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-48340-4
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
A wide-angled survey, but the pictures carry the problematic narrative.
Historical examples and enrichment activities aplenty partly compensate for dry prose and iffy language in this broad overview of maps and their uses.
In topical chapters, the author covers the development of local and world maps, explains map reading in painstaking detail, covers geophysical features and forces, focuses on New World maps, then closes with considerations of specialized and political uses of maps and (in a cursory way) how satellites have mapped our planet and others. Absent a needed illustration of the prehistoric maps he mentions, there are otherwise color maps or photos on every spread, accompanying barrages of informative observations and facts. Some of these, like a tally of European explorers who “discovered” parts of the Americas and a note that gold rush prospectors encountered “Indians, mountains, deserts, and great rivers” on their way to the gold fields, could have been more sensitively expressed. Aside from a vague invitation to disprove the four-color theorem somehow by coloring a map, the 21 side activities are enlightening and range widely in difficulty without requiring expensive or hard-to-get materials. If readers come away thinking that “graphy” is a Greek word, they’ll also have a clear notion of why maps are worth studying.
A wide-angled survey, but the pictures carry the problematic narrative. (bibliography, online resource list, index; not seen) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-56976-344-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011
A litany of valid concerns, though too broad and generalized to be a mind changer.
An earnest, overly ambitious call to action laid over an omnium-gatherum of environmental issues affecting the British Columbian rain forest in particular and all of us in general.
Vernon shoehorns her narrative in among inspirational slogans, testimonials from rain-forest residents and environmental workers, case studies in local activism and small color photos of wildlife (particularly bears) and huge trees. She points in turn to depleted salmon runs, the forced relocation of native groups, clearcut logging, the hazards of sending huge oil tankers down nearby shipping lanes and the relentless overhunting of abalone, whales and sea otters. Looking further afield, she also calls attention to global warming, the toxic effects of mining Alberta’s oil sands and the danger of our “addiction” to oil, before closing with reports of successful nonviolent protests and a passionate plea to cut back, re-use and become involved in collective action. Though too general to serve as a nuts-and-bolts guide for young activists—and hard to read, thanks to the overcrowded page design—this adds another voice to the chorus warning that global disaster is on the way and sitting it out isn’t the smart option.
A litany of valid concerns, though too broad and generalized to be a mind changer. (glossary, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55469-303-0
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
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