Welcome to the museum that is always open to explore...
Step inside the pages of Anatomicum to enjoy the experience of a museum from the comfort of your own home. The 2019 offering from Welcome to the Museum guides readers through the human body, from the muscles we use to show emotion, to the delicate workings of the brain. With sumptuous artwork by Katy Wiedemann and expert text by professor Dr Jennifer Z Paxton, this beautiful book is a feast of anatomical knowledge.---from the publisher
112 pages 978-1787414921 Ages 7 - 12
Keywords: museum, human body, how things work, information, anatomy, 7 year old, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old, medical science, Science Curriculum
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“What rushes into my heart and my skull
I can’t control
Think about it
Feel it in my bones”
-- Tiësto (featuring Tegan and Sara) (2009)
ANATOMICUM is a comprehensive yet easily-understood introduction to human anatomy. It’s also a masterpiece! The author is a university lecturer in anatomy. The illustrator is a heralded tattoo artist. This combining of talents has produced a jaw-droppingly beautiful introduction to our blood, bones, and guts.
Author Jennifer Z. Paxton, who teaches science and medical students, has a knack for explaining bodily processes in terms that middle graders will readily grasp:
“Key to plate
1: Pivot joint
In pivot joints, one bone rotates around another. A good example is the joint between the atlas and the axis in the vertebral column. It is used to turn the head side to side.
2: Ball-and-socket joint
This joint gets its name from the ‘ball’ of one bone, usually a long bone, fitting into a corresponding ‘socket’ on the adjoining bone. It allows movements in lots of different directions (bending, rotation, etc.) Some examples are the shoulder and hip joints.
3: Hinge joint
Hinge joints allow movement in one direction only and act just like the hinges on doors to allow bending but not rotation. Major hinge joints of the body are at the elbows, knees, and ankle joints.
4. Condyloid joint
These are found where one bone is rounded and fits into a shallow depression on its neighboring bone. Condyloid joints, also known as ellipsoidal joints, allow movements in many directions, such as the movements of the wrist.
5.Saddle joint
Resembling a saddle on top of another bone, these joints allow side-to-side and bending movement, but no rotation. They include the joint between the carpals and metacarpals of the thumb.
6. Planar joint
Also called gliding joints, these occur where bones lie flat against each other. They allow bones to slide from side to side or up and down. Planar joints are found between the bones to the wrist and ankle regions.”
ANATOMICUM is well-organized. Everything makes sense. The book is divided into six galleries plus a library. The galleries consist of:
The Musculoskeletal System
The Cardiovascular & Respiratory Systems
The Digestive & Urinary Systems
The Nervous System & Special Senses
The Immune & Lymphatic Systems
The Endocrine & Reproductive Systems
Within each gallery are page after page of illustrated body parts. Rendered in ink and watercolor, all of the parts of the parts are numbered and identified in the accompanying “keys” to the plates. Each gallery also contains an index and a fact-filled, multi-paragraph introduction to that part of our body. The oversized book is printed on heavy art paper, and made to endure a lot of use.
ANATOMICUM is a unique, stunning, coffee table reference book for young people about the structure and functioning of our bodies. Parents will be wise to check it out, too. I just learned (or re-learned) so many details of what makes me tick.
“The back of the eye, known as the retina, is lined with millions of light-detecting sensory cells. These translate light messages into electrical signals for the brain to receive. About seven million of these cells are a type called cones, which detect colors but are unable to function well in low light. The other 100 million cells are called rods. These are much more sensitive to light, so they work well in low light, though they do not detect color. This is why scenes appear to be black-and-white at nighttime. Once the rods and cones have received information, it is transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve at the back of each eye. Incredibly, this whole process happens in a fraction of a second, and it is thought that the human eye can process nearly one thousand frames, or images, per second.”
However you look at it, this is a unique and informative piece of nonfiction artistry you don’t want to miss. And it will make a fabulous gift.
Recommended by: Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
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