Customer Reviews

Brown Paper School book: Blood and Guts

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Blood and Guts is a nifty little book designed to teach kids about the workings of the human body while having fun doing it. Making learning fun is what the Brown Paper School project is all about; a group of California teachers, writers, and artists came together periodically to put together an impressive number of educational books for children, working on the principle "Accept no substitutes for fun." Linda Allison wrote and illustrated this particular book herself, and it does indeed live up to its subtitle A Working Guide to Your Own Insides. The primary beneficiaries of the book are older children, but in a strong sense she seemed to be writing for both children and their parents; a number of the experiments she includes in these pages really need the supervision and help of an adult, and this makes for a wonderful way for parents to take an active role in their child's education and intellectual development.

The book is organized very well, as the author devotes a chapter to each of the following topics: skin, bones, teeth, muscles, heart, lungs, cells, digestion, kidneys, eyes, ears, balance, brain and nervous system, and reproduction. She provides a basic but quite informative narrative for each subject at hand, includes a number of helpful illustrations, and lays out a number of experiments by which kids can see and learn about the individual subjects themselves. Many of these experiments are very simple and can be performed quickly and easily, while others call for a few supplies that necessitate adult involvement - some of these can be dangerous, such as several different kinds of acid. The book also suggests the acquisition and minor dissection of things like hearts and kidneys, but that probably goes a little farther than most parents will want to go. Obviously, unless your last name is Frankenstein, you don't need to do everything in this book, but most of the experiments are quick, easy, and fun. The chapter on reproduction does not go very deeply into the subject, but the basic differences between males and females are touched upon in word and simplistic illustration. Since the book is aimed at the 9-12 age group, parents will want to take this into consideration. Overall, though, the book succeeds quite well in making learning a fun activity for the child as well as the entire family.

This book is loaded with uncomplicated science experiments that require ordinary household items. It is filled with interesting facts (like "what is really on the back of your hand, if you think you know it so well?!") Teachers and those who home school their children will find this a very useful resource that puts information in "kid language" without dumbing down the information.

The information in this book is clear and accurate. The drawings are good too. However, many of the projects described don't work. Some of them don't work because they can't work and some of them don't work because there isn't quite enough information given to the reader to make them work.

"Blood and Guts" sparks curiosity by the name alone. It addresses misconceptions that children may have (such as that bacteria are bad), and uses examples that they can understand for comparisons (there are more bacteria living on you than there are people on earth). Fascinating do-it-yourself (yes, at home!) experiments show how lungs work, identify parts of kidneys, test for fats, etc. Set aside an hour now and then, roll up your sleeves & dig in with the kids! Double your fun by inviting friends to learn with you.

"You are many things. You are millions of blood vessels, billions of cells, hundreds of muscles, thousands of hairs, quarts of blood...You are blood and guts and a whole lot more." An ambitious undertaking for a single volume! Yet Blood and Guts does a fabulous job of explaining the human body in terms that children can understand. And the illustrations and experiments are simple but easily understood. Chapters cover Skin, Bones, Teeth, Muscles, Heart, Lungs, Cells, Digestion, Kidneys, Eyes, Ears, Balance, Brain and Reproduction. Children will be delighted with the experiments including dissecting an animal's heart, shifty eyes, liquidation (bladder capacity), starch and spit test, calisthenics for your face, casting teeth and the great thumbless survival test. No science background is required. In fact, it may be best to combine learning with your children in this fascinating book. Recommended for all ages, home or school... From The Science Spiders Newsletter.

I am a teacher and have enjoyed and used this book with my fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classes for a number of years now. I like the way that the book is organized by systems and body parts. Information is presented clearly. The writing is in an informal, yet appropriate, style. There are a number of experiments and demonstrations for students to try. As has been pointed out, some of them are difficult and others require materials that may be difficult to find. However, most are appropriate, and many leave kids with that "Wow, I didn't think that would happen"-type of reaction. It should be pointed out that the book uses cartoon illustrations. They are generally fine but should be supplemented with models, more accurate drawings, posters, or photos. I think that this book does the best job of introducing how our bodies work and will use it for years to come.

This is an awesome book. I use it for home schooling my daughter, but she doesn't think of it as school work. The author explains complicated workings of the human body in a way kids and adults can understand and even enjoy. There are lots of experiments that we actually do because they're just plain fun and the equipment is easily found around the house.
It's appropriate for a wide range of ages...elementary to high school. It's pages are black and white, even the drawings, but you're so interested that you don't even care. I keep it beside the encyclopedia and have caught adults pulling it off the shelf and reading it.
I'll be looking for other books by this author.

We purchased this as a book for homeschooling. It's written in a very entertaining way and filled with a lot of neat experiments and hands-on activities.

This is a captivating science book for students. It includes fun experiments, too! It should be noted that there are many drawings of the human body, so be sure that the child you're teaching is old enough to look at drawings of the opposite sex "nude."

My students loved learning and reading about the information in this book and many other Brown Paper School Books. It sparked their interest to research many other aspects of the human body!