The Fantastic Body: What Makes You Tick & How You Get Sick

A comprehensive guide to the human body meets hilarious kid humor in this gorgeous full color book filled with more than 1,000 diagrams and fun facts!

Written by a pediatrician, this is the ultimate kids' reference guide to the human body! Jam-packed with fun facts, cool diagrams, and gross stories galore, this go-to guide will captivate curious readers for hours on end. Kids can also take their learning beyond reading the book, with DIY projects that demonstrate different body functions and tips for making their regular checkups less scary. 

Through humor, science, and engaging illustrations, this fun and comprehensive anatomy book is the perfect gift for kids wanting to know more about the mysterious stuff going on inside their bodies.

Gr 4–6—In this physically hefty volume, Bennett captivates readers with an engaging look at the inside and outside workings of the human body. Rich with medical terminology, the writing style smoothly blends definitions of unfamiliar vocabulary with factual details. Technical passages are enhanced by clear diagrams. Large doses of humor lighten the tone, and gross-out descriptions, such as "snot rocket," should keep students reading. Bennett has a knack for breaking down complex medical information into understandable material. Nine sections delve into topics such as body systems, senses, puberty, and human development. Also covered are ways to stay well and some common illnesses, with suggestions on how to get better. Heaps of supplemental material, which appears in sidebars, further expands the content. A thorough index aides in quick retrieval of information—but since there is no separate glossary, readers will need to flip back to previous pages to reacquaint themselves with terms. Colorful photos (a mix of original and stock) and illustrations are plentiful. At times, the cartoonish art style, especially those on chapter-heading pages, seem geared more towards a younger audience when compared to the level of the text. VERDICT A fresh perspective on health and wellness and a useful resource or browsing selection for nonfiction collections.—Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron

"Anatomy and physiology books for older grade schoolers are not especially rare, but it's worth taking a close look at this new one.This effort, on first glance, ever so closely resembles a textbook, which may serve to drive off potential readers and might especially daunt those interested in just browsing. Although it appears quite long, it is composed of heavyweight pages and has numerous spreads that are nearly devoid of text. It is remarkably comprehensive, not even glossing over reproduction and the reproductive system as many nonfiction works for the elementary-age group tend to do. Each chapter includes numerous clear, attractive photographs of people of all races, clear descriptions of the forms and functions of organs and systems, and sidebars entitled "What the Heck" that briefly describe surprising aspects of the various topics. Other sidebars called "Try This" offer very simple science experiments. "Ewww It's True" boxes offer just enough somewhat-disgusting trivia to amuse the intended audience. Finally, there are also "Fact or Fib" sidebars that present short, amusing true-or-false statements with explanations. Challenging words are followed by pronunciation guides usefully embedded in the text. Well-organized and systematic in its approach, this is an especially desirable work. A thorough, accurate, and attractive effort that's useful for quick reference as well as for a deeper examination of the topic."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Captivates readers with an engaging look at the inside and outside workings of the human body. Rich with medical terminology, the writing style smoothly blends definitions of unfamiliar vocabulary with factual details. Technical passages are enhanced by clear diagrams. Large doses of humor lighten the tone, and gross-out descriptions...A fresh perspective on health and wellness and a useful resource or browsing selection for nonfiction collections."
—School Library Journal

"An entertaining, informative and sometimes gross read for kids, teens and even adults....it includes clear, color pictures and diagrams to make explanations of various bodily functions easily understood, and it even contains some fun do-it-yourself-at-home science experiments."
—Current Newspapers

"This is not just another anatomy tome for children. What is different about this book is that it uses humor and what children enjoy – gross tales – to explain bodily functions in a way that kids will find engaging. There are interesting sections such as fun facts which give quirky tidbits... The author also gives pointers on tips for the next check-up, getting shots and so on. There are also diagrams, go-to guides, and DIY projects for children to do."
—Parentcircle.com

“Jam-packed with gross stories, cool diagrams,and fun facts, this book also includes do-it-yourself projects that demonstrate different body functions."
--Learning Magazine

"Uses humor, bright illustrations and fun stories about animals to get kids interested in everything from why their earspop to the purpose of saliva.”--Bethesda Magazine

Dr. Howard Bennett is a practicing pediatrician in Washington, DC, and the writer of a popular kids’ column for the Washington Post. With more than 30 years of experience treating kids, he has all the answers—and plenty of yuck-filled stories to share!