Guts: Our Digestive System [Hardcover]

Seymour Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2005 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Why is it important tochew your food?

Can you guess how long it takes for food to travel through your body?

Could you possibly have twenty feet of small intestines?

Where does that bad-smelling gas come from?

Your digestive system is out of sight and out of mind -- until things don't go right. Then you may wonder how these important organs work!

You'll find the answers in Seymour Simon's smooth, well-organized, and fascinating introduction to the digestive system. He explains how it works twenty-four hours a day, turning pizza, sandwiches, milk, and other food into energy and nutrients and waste. Striking photographs on every spread show how major organs including the stomach and intestines move food through your body, and how, eventually, waste is eliminated.

Guts takes the mystery out of something that happens to everyone, every day, while at the same time sharing a sense of wonder about the human body.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Simon's specialty of drawing in readers through large, detailed, breathtaking photos and then entertaining them with facts is again in evidence. Beginning with the teeth, esophagus, and stomach, the information then winds its way through the small and large intestines, with the importance of the pancreas and liver included. The text is enhanced with detailed colored X rays, computer-generated pictures, and microscopic photos. The material is detailed, with terminology that may be difficult for children with no background, but not sophisticated enough to need a medical degree for interpretation. Students will find the book fascinating as well as a bit gross. Writers of health-related reports, as well as casual browsers, will surely put this title to use.–Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. The latest in Simon's books about the human body explains how the digestive system works. In his signature style, accessible without being cute or condescending, he describes the complex facts and processes of the physiology, from the time food enters the mouth until all the various organs transform it into energy, nutrients, and waste. Some of the text is quite dense, but the clearly labeled, full-page color photos show the anatomy close-up, from an X-ray of the colon and a photo of a dissected pancreas to a microscopic view of what heartburn looks like in the stomach. Simon also includes a page about a healthy diet. The facts of how the body works are astonishing. Readers older than the target audience may want to look at this, too. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060546514
• ISBN-13: 978-0060546519
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 10.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Anatomy & Physiology

More About the Author

Seymour Simon, whom the NY Times called "the dean of [children's science] writers," is the author of more than 250 highly acclaimed science books (many of which have been named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association). His free, educational children's app, SCIENCE FUN TO GO, debuted in the Top 10 of all free children's apps in the Amazon App store, and features in app purchase of original Seymour Simon eBooks, as well as a multitude of free content.

Seymour Simon uses his website, SeymourSimon.com, to provide free downloads of a wealth of materials for educators, homeschoolers and parents to use with his books, including 4-page Teacher Guides for all 26 of his Collins/Smithsonian photo essay books. The site provides multiple resources for kids writing book reports or wanting to explore the online Science Dictionary, and also features the Seymour Science blog highlighting current science news. Educators and families are encouraged to sign up to receive the monthly newsletter from SeymourSimon.com to stay abreast of the latest materials that Seymour Simon is introducing to enrich the reading experience.

He taught science and creative writing in elementary and secondary schools and was chair of the science department at a junior high school in the New York City public school system before leaving to become a full-time writer. "I haven't really given up teaching," he says, "and I suppose I never will, not as long as I keep writing and talking to kids around the country and the world."

Seymour Simon is also a creator and the author of a series of 3D books and a series of Glow-in-the-Dark Books for Scholastic Book Clubs, a series of leveled SEEMORE READERS for Chronicle Books, and the EINSTEIN ANDERSON, SCIENCE DETECTIVE series of fiction books. His books encourage children to enjoy the world around them through learning and discovery, and by making science fun. He has introduced tens of millions of children to a staggering array of subjects; one prominent science education specialist described Simon's books as "extraordinary examples of expository prose."

Seymour Simon has been honored with many awards for his work, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Lifetime Achievement Award for his lasting contribution to children's science literature; the New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature; the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Boston Public Library for his contribution to children's science literature; The Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Non-fiction; the Jeremiah Ludington Award for his outstanding contribution to children's nonfiction; the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Forum on Children's Science Books.

In a recent interview Simon was asked if he ever thinks of retiring. "I seem to be working faster and harder than ever. I absolutely don't feel any urge to sit back and look at what I've done. The only things that I'm thinking about are things I'd like to do in the future. I'm planning and doing and continuing to write. It's what I love to do. I remember a story about an anthropologist going to talk to a tribe and he asked them what was their word for "work." Their response was they have no word for work. Everybody does the things that they do in their life. I love that response. I don't differentiate between work and play. Everything I do is something that I enjoy doing - the writing, the research and everything else."

Seymour Simon writes and photographs nature from his hilltop home in Columbia County in upstate New York. You can follow his daily nature walks and see his photographs from the field on Twitter (@seymoursimon) or on his Facebook group page. He also regularly hosts Q&As and sponsors book giveaways on GoodReads.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guts, March 15, 2006

By 

Sharlee Petruzzi "Ssp60" (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guts: Our Digestive System (Hardcover)

Fabulous author! I reviewed 10 of his writings for a class project in Children's Literature. He writes about the body in an interesting and informative way and peaks curiosity and leaves you wanting to know more. Seymour Simon is great for readers of all ages.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GUTS!!!, June 10, 2005

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guts: Our Digestive System (Hardcover)

You may not think much about your digestive system but as this book show it's always hard at work! Guts tells us how the body digest food starting with our teeth and ending with the food beining made into waste. Full color photo are show through out the book to give us a better idea of our insides!

What did you like or not like about the book?

The information was written with children in mind. I feel like it explained the topice well.

Would you recommend the book? Why or Why not?

Yes The content of the book is written in a simplistic manner, but is loaded with facts

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book for Elementary School, April 20, 2010

By 

A. D. Latham - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Guts: Our Digestive System (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my 5th grade daughter since she had to do a written and oral report on the digestive system. The book is well written for anyone to understand. The pictures are fantastic. This book provided a majority of the information my daughter needed for her report. The only reason I did not give this book a 5 star rating is because it didn't include very much information on disorders of the digestive system. That information would have been nice to see included, but we were able to get plenty of disorder information on the internet.