THE BODY BOOK

Acetate-covered cutout windows invite fledgling readers to take peeks at human body systems.

It’s a select tour, featuring just the five basic senses, bare nods at the endocrine and immune systems, and no mention of reproduction at all. The uncredited writer makes clear efforts to keep the descriptive notes nontechnical, with uneven results. Most eyebrow-raising are a claim that “you have tiny hairs all over your body to keep you warm” and contradictory information about whether heart muscles contract with or without commands from the brain. Still, the focus on function rather than terminology properly lays a sturdy foundation for more extensive inquiries children may pursue in the future. Along with inside views and close-ups of isolated organs, Alice’s schematic illustrations feature a carefully diverse cast, including a child in a wheelchair and an older adult with a cane on a page leadingly titled “The Same Inside.” The body-shaped windows, acetate printed on both sides to present front and back views, are stacked to suggest how at least some of the seven systems are “always working together, like a machine,” and a final appeal to keep that machine ticking by eating properly and exercising ends the tour on a cogent note.

The gimmick may prove a draw, but topicwise there are some major holes.