A generally attractive and entertaining medical reference that will appeal to inquiring minds.
A compendium of low-key medical information for the upper grade school set.
Got a headache? A rash? A pulled muscle or a sprained ankle? Disease by disease and injury by injury, this basic medical text takes young readers through various ailments, breaking each one down into a simple explanation of the problem. There’s “First Response”—what the child can do to help alleviate the situation; “What Your Doctor Does”—which sometimes includes the advice that a doctor may not be necessary in many cases; “What Your Body Does”—the physiological response to the problem; and “What You Can Do to Prevent…”—common-sense health and safety advice. Often-humorous cartoon illustrations are featured on nearly every spread, along with high-quality color photographs of various ailments (sprained ankle, conjunctivitis, etc.). Each section includes an “Ouch! Pain Scale,” a facial icon that indicates the degree of pain caused, although some offer such a range as to seem superfluous. While the explanations are basic and utilize kid-friendly words like germs, puke and poop, this effort also offers solid information, including terms like granulocytes and phagocytosis. These trickier words are defined clearly in the text and included in an extensive glossary. Unfortunately, no references are included. Photo captions are presented in a small, pale orange, italicized text that’s challenging to read.
A generally attractive and entertaining medical reference that will appeal to inquiring minds. (Nonfiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62354-005-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Imagine Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
The cleanup, finger pointing, litigation and economic recovery are still ongoing, but this overview of the Deepwater Horizon disaster offers a short and coherent account of the spill itself, the well’s eventual capping and, in broad strokes, the immediate environmental impact. Noting that the initial explosion occurred the very night of a ceremony commending the crew’s safety record (but not going into the long tally of construction shortcuts that made that ceremony so disingenuous), Landau provides a linear nonjudgmental account of major events between the April 20 eruption and the announcement of a permanent plug on Sep. 19, 2010. Big color photos add views of the platform burning, ships cleaning up oil slicks, oil-soaked wildlife and damaged coastal areas, along with smaller murky pictures of the failed blowout preventer on the ocean floor and the replacement cap. Additional graphics provide clear views of the technology—the rig itself, a cross-section of the blowout preventer and the relief well in relation to the original well—and a map of the Gulf coastline shows the affected areas. Limited, out of date and entirely based on secondary sources as it is, this still presents younger audiences a slightly more complete picture than Mona Chiang’s Oil Spill Disaster (2000). Includes eco-activities, resource lists and a tally of other major spills. (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7485-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011
The series features co-writing by an academic expert and a member of the country or culture represented, clear, colorful...
This entry in the We Thought of It series introduces African innovations in various fields including architecture, arts and crafts, communication, musical instruments and more.
The series features co-writing by an academic expert and a member of the country or culture represented, clear, colorful design that includes numerous full-color photos and a great deal of information. A fascinating blend of tradition and modernity is evident, especially in one photo of a Maasai man in traditional clothing using a digital camera to photograph animal tracks. The innovations range from the familiar (bow and arrow; pyramids) to some that will be new to most kids (a "rondavel," or round house; "injera," a spongy bread). Although the text focuses on history of these discoveries and inventions, briefly putting them into contemporary context, there is also a helpful "Africa Today" chapter. Unfortunately, the decision to treat Africa as a single entity—other series titles focus on an individual country or people, such as The Chinese Thought of It (2009) or The Inuit Thought of It (2007)—contributes to the lack of awareness about the many different countries, languages and cultures represented on this enormous continent. The text, as opposed to the title, does address Africa's diversity, often noting that the same item or concept is known by different names throughout Africa, for example.Pub Date: June 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55451-277-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2011
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
