An illustrated book about the digestive system and microbiome for young readers, from famous (and funny) scientist Dr. Jennifer Gardy.
Everybody eats, and everybody poops. Pretty ordinary stuff, right?
But what happens in between is far from ordinary! That’s where your digestive system—also known as your gut—works its magic.
It Takes Guts is an excellent, science-based resource for classroom learning and home-schooling for kids age 9 to 13, with information about:
- The surprising role that food and digestion play in your mood and immune system.
- The amazing tools your body uses to break down food including acids, which do their thing without burning a hole in your stomach!
- The incredible truth that not all bacteria is bad! Billions of “helpful bacteria” belong in your gut.
- And so much more.
Dr. Jennifer Gardy also takes stomach-turning detours to investigate the science behind burps, barfs, and farts, proving that learning about the wonderful world of your gut—takes guts!---from the publisher
152 pages 978-1771645010 Ages 8-12
Keywords: human body, anatomy, how things work, digestion, science, Science Curriculum, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old
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“Food, glorious food!
What is there more handsome?
Gulped, swallowed or chewed
Still worth a king’s ransom!
What is it we dream about?
What brings on a sigh?
Piled peaches and cream,
About six feet high!
-- Lionel Bart, from “Oliver!” (1960)
“As you grow, your gut grows along with you. Eventually it’ll measure around 23 feet (7 meters) long--over half as long as a school bus! Every moment of every day of your life, your gut deals with everything you eat and drink: foods and liquids go in one end, the many organs that make up your digestive system takes out the healthy nutrients and other useful components out for your body to use, and the rest comes out the other end as poop. But scientists are learning new things every day about how the gut does so much more for us! It’s practically a part of our brain, able to send signals that tell us when we’re hungry or full. And it can even influence our mood--imagine being able to change how you feel by eating a different diet.
Our gut is part of our immune system too, defending our bodies against dangerous germs. And it’s also home to trillions of tiny bacteria that live with us in (usually) perfect harmony. They help us with some of the more difficult jobs of digestion, but they also shape how healthy we are. The bacteria present in our first few poops as babies can tell doctors whether or not we might grow up to develop allergies or asthma!”
Welcome to a fascinating tour of our guts, crafted by a doctor/scientist who often hosts science shows for kids. From saliva on one end, to poops in space and smart toilets on the other, Dr. Jennifer Gardy provides a comprehensive and entertaining examination of our body’s digestive system that will entertain and enlighten elementary and middle school students (and even us grownups).
The chapters are well organized. The text includes dozens of highlighted terms that are then reviewed in the Glossary. And there are great chapter summations, called Fast Facts.
The author includes interesting, sometimes bizarre, sidebars. Did you know that sword swallowers have been doing their thing for over 4,000 years? (“It’s no trick, either--X-rays have shown that the sword really is inside their throat, with the tip sometimes reaching as far as their stomach!”) Did you know they’ve recently discovered that your stomach has some of the same taste receptors that are found in the taste buds in your mouth? This is great stuff!
The author connects well with her intended audience. The actual text, which spans around 120 pages, covers the basic concepts and terminology relating to each of the organs that together comprise our digestive system. I learned a lot, making IT TAKES GUTS one of those, “Darn! I wish I had this when I was 10 or 12.” kind of books. It’s a real must-have.
152 pages 978-1-77164-501-0
Recommended by: Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
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