the 5 senses Archives -

Picture Book Review – Look and Listen

July 28, 2022
goodreadswithronna
Ages 4-8, Bugs & Insects, Children's Book Reviews, Children's Books > Science, Concepts, Environment & Ecology, Juvenile Fiction, Nature, Science Studies, Sounds, STEM

LOOK AND LISTEN

Written by Dianne White

Illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford

(Holiday House; $18.99; Ages 4-8)

★Starred Review – School Library Journaltar

From the Publisher: “In this exciting guessing game for budding nature lovers, a child takes a walk to explore the sights and sounds in a garden, across a meadow, and along a brook … Dianne White’s playful text is paired with the vibrant collage artwork of Amy Schimler-Safford.”

Look and Listen int1 garden — Interior spread from Look and Listen written by Dianne White and illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford, Holiday House ©2022.

Dianne White’s simple, rhyming text introduces young readers to the colors and sounds of creatures that live in each ecosystem using a riddle-like structure that invites page turns. At the same time, Amy Schimler-Safford’s gorgeous, collage-style art encourages little eyes to seek and find the hiding creature …

Look and Listen int2 sunflowers — Interior spread from Look and Listen written by Dianne White and illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford, Holiday House ©2022.

making this a truly interactive and enjoyable reading experience.

Look and Listen int3 bee — Interior art from Look and Listen written by Dianne White and illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford, Holiday House ©2022.

Accessible backmatter in Look and Listen offers readers and/or teachers more information about the habitats and animals highlighted in the book. This radiant picture book inspiring all five senses would make a great read-aloud for preschool classrooms to use just before a nature walk or trip to a National Park.

Reviewed by Roxanne Troup

How Your Body Works

May 25, 2012
goodreadswithronna
Ages 8 and up, Ages 8-12, Juvenile Nonfiction

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR BODY
Written by Beverly McMillan
featuring over 200 color photos and illustrations
(B.E.S., $14.99, Ages 10-14)

I am going to start my review of A Day in the Life of Your Body: An Around the Clock Guide to How Your Body Works ($14.99, Barron’s, ages 8 and up) by saying that I find this book to be overwhelmingly wonderful in every way. Think of it as a comprehensive anatomy textbook, but for kids – filled with extraordinary, detailed full-color medical illustrations and photographs. Author Beverly McMillan’s narrative takes the reader through what goes on inside the body of a child on any given day, from the time she wakes up until she goes to sleep. Young readers will learn an array of fascinating facts about how the body works. For example, the keratin in our skin makes it completely waterproof, the cerebral cortex of the brain is used to doing math problems and vision is the most powerful of the five senses. In addition to covering the vital functions of the body, other engaging sections cover visiting the doctor, genetics, how food is processed, what it takes to live a long and healthy life plus health myths and facts.

int spread from A Day in the Life of Your Body pg 11_12 — interior illustration from A Day in the Life of Your Body by Beverly McMillan, B.E.S. Publishing ©2012.

What I love about this book is that it is written in such a way that what would normally be complicated information is just so easy to understand. The exceptional illustrations clearly depict the internal layers of the body, which greatly complement the text. And it’s very important for our health, for all of us to understand how the human body works. This book may have been written for children, but you’d be hard pressed to find an adult anywhere who would not learn from it and enjoy reading it, too. Every home and classroom should have a copy of A Day in the Life of Your Body: An Around the Clock Guide to How Your Body Works!