How the Body Works: The Facts Simply Explained (How Things Work)

How the Body Works: The Facts Simply Explained (How Things Work)

129 ratings 4.7 out of 5 stars

May 3, 2016

Product Description A bold, accessible, illustrated guide that delivers real scientific information on how the body works with a healthy side of fun facts and trivia. If you've ever searched the Internet for information on that odd rash on your arm, advice to help you get the best night's sleep, or tips for staying healthy during cold and flu season, you know there is skill to sorting fiction from scientific fact. How the Body Works uses clear, easy-to-understand graphics and illustrations to demystify all the complex processes that keep our bodies alive and thriving — from the basic building blocks of the body — our cells — to skin, muscles, and bones and the ways in which our many parts work together. Learn about the senses, how we read faces and body language, nutrition and immunity, the brain, sleep, memory, dreams, and much more. Each chapter takes you through a new body system and includes surprising facts like "there are no muscles in the fingers and toes" and "by the time you finish reading this sentence, 50 million of your cells will have died and been replaced." With How the Body Works, you'll understand the how and why as well as be wowed by the astonishing ways our bodies work. From School Library Journal Gr 9 Up—This latest from DK offers a straightforward presentation of anatomical facts, ranging from the expected (cell diagrams, body systems, nutrition) to the delightfully obscure (the multiple immune system cells used to defeat pathogens, the chemical effects of near-death experiences). Boasting full-color illustrations on every page, which are surrounded by brief paragraphs of text, this title avoids a blanch-inducing textbook format. Even the most science-timid readers will find engagement in its creative exhibitions of diagrams and demonstrations. The book's coverage, however, is broad, rather than deep; for example, the chemical factors behind sexual attraction are listed, but no further exploration of different sexualities is pursued. Additionally, the text occasionally employs the second person "you," resulting in ambiguity over who is being addressed. This usage is especially confusing in the sidebar on menstruation in the "Feeling Attraction" spread, where the text conjectures that "you tend to flirt more and dress more attractively" during ovulation. This deviation from fact to social observation, here and in other areas, may be perplexing or jarring for readers. Otherwise, this volume is an ideal reference for those tackling challenging biology or anatomy homework. With the extensive index, finding explanations of terms is easy. Where the layout stumbles is its unorthodox page numbering. Both numbers are listed on the upper right corner of each spread, making accurate citation difficult. VERDICT This is a solid buy for all YA nonfiction purchasers keeping their 600s up-to-date.—Chelsea Woods, New Brunswick Free Public Library, NJ About the Author DK was founded in London in 1974 and is now the world's leading illustrated reference publisher and part of Penguin Random House, formed on July 1, 2013. DK publishes highly visual, photographic nonfiction for adults and children. DK produces content for consumers in over 87 countries and in 62 languages, with offices in Delhi, London, Melbourne, Munich, New York, and Toronto. DK's aim is to inform, enrich, and entertain readers of all ages, and everything DK publishes, whether print or digital, embodies the unique DK design approach. DK brings unrivalled clarity to a wide range of topics with a unique combination of words and pictures, put together to spectacular effect. We have a reputation for innovation in design for both print and digital products.   Our adult range spans travel, including the award-winning DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, history, science, nature, sport, gardening, cookery, and parenting. DK’s extensive children’s list showcases a fantastic store of information for children, toddlers, and babies. DK covers everything from animals and the human body, to homework help and craft activities, together with an impressive list of licensing titles, including the bestselling LEGO® books. DK acts as the parent company for Alpha Books, publisher of the Idiot's Guides series and Prima Games, video gaming publishers, as well as the award-winning travel publisher, Rough Guides.

This book is very detailed and covers everything about the human body in a very detailed, yet easy to follow format. Like an example of this is it explains a cell with a great picture showing the nucleus, mitochondria, glycosomes, etc.The structure of the book is very well done too. Skin, muscles, cells, DNA, the heart, feeding the body, chemical balance, the mind along with a lot of other things to help explain how our human bodies work.I have a much better understanding of how the body we all have works after reading this book. Even better than the Anatomy and Physiology class I took a couple years ago in college. I really think that class would have been easier if I had read this first.