Customer Reviews

The Great Brain Book: An Inside Look At The Inside Of Your Head

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I know how tough it is to write good books for kids, but this one has really impressed us. (I say 'us' as my 10-year-old daughter and I are reading this together.) As soon as you open it, you know you are in for a treat.

The content is thoroughly engaging to all ages -- it has the right 'attitude' to keep even science-haters hooked, but the author's depth of knowledge about the brain enables him to keep even the geekiest brain-lover involved. The layout and artwork are superb, and my daughter loves the sidebars, which could be a book on their own (on such varied topics as "brain freeze", squids, lobotomies, and zits).

This book could serve for teachers as a wonderful textbook, while at the same time would be a great present for a curious kid. With so many boring science texts out there, let's celebrate the ones that are done well. It's hard to imagine how to improve this one. Well done!

The study of the brain has a long history, from early Egyptian probes to modern-day research into how the brain works. The Great Brain Book: An Inside Look At The Inside Of Your Head explores all facets of the brain's systems, with bright color photos surveying parts of the brain and how they interact and operate physically and psychologically. Students in grades 6-9 studying anatomy will find it a bright, fun book inviting leisure browsing as much as reference consultation.

I won't ruin the book for you by telling you how it ends, but I can say that the more I got into The Great Brain book the more I enjoyed it. A science book of this length is a bit daunting for me, let alone for a 12-year-old. This book, however, with a mix of clarity, pertinent background, and fabulous graphics engages the reader and holds his or her interest. As a former middle school teacher, I can't imagine too many students would read this book cover to cover for willing enrichment, but those with an interest in science will find this book quite satisfying. I see this book more as a classroom resource or reference for most youngsters.

As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am glad I stuck with it and finished the entire book. I like that the author not only gives us the anatomical facts but also includes interesting tidbits in the history of man's quest to understand the brain. My favorite chapters were the ones on memory and sleep. In other books the explanations of the stages of sleep put me to sleep. Newquist left me with an understanding and appreciation of the interaction between sleep and our brain.

If you're an adult looking for information about the human brain, don't be put off by the age designation of this book. It's of iterest to anyone from middle school on up. In my case, way up.

This was the best book in our library about the brain
in either the kid or adult
section. I started the book
in the middle with the chapters on the structure
of the brain and the structure of the neuron. I felt I learned more about the brain here than anywhere else. The book is well-written. The author's explanations are clear. I am looking for further reading, but I am glad I started here.

I bought this for my 11 year old niece and she read it in one weekend. Then she asked me for another book. Any book thats nonfiction that will encourage a child to read more deserves five stars.

This was actually and very informative, interesting, easy to read experience traveling to the inside of ones brain to reveal the wheels, pedals, and chains you can't see that make up the bicycle of the brain.
The brain works in a cave surrounded by a shell so you can't see-- the inner workings or hear the moving parts. I learned a lot from this book, especially the chapter on the Limbic system--this is where memories are stored and is considered the mammalian brain because it is similar to the type of brain found in many mammals-magnificant the human body is.

I bought this book with a two fold purpose: to use it to hep during a talk to children in a class, and to also keep for my children as a reference.
This book is helpful in both settings, in a classroom and at home. It has colorful and easy to read information with excellent drawings and fun facts.

My son loves this book. It's full of interesting facts and pictures. It was just the right gift for my 11 year old.

I found this book an excellent resource for young people or those with no background in a related field. The book is delightfully composed and illustrations are excellent. I personally feel there is some disconnect between the amount of information covered (which is very good) versus the sentence structure (which seems a little condescending to me). I had hoped to give this book as a gift to reasonably sophisticated people who are from unrelated disciplines. However, the text made that inappropriate for my use.