You breathe more than twenty thousand times each and every day of your life.

REVIEWS:

BOOKLIST, Hazel Rochman

What happens when a person breathes, coughs, sneezes, or hiccups? Simon provides the answers in his latest science education book, written under the Smithsonian’s imprimatur. Although this book isn’t quite as detailed as some of the author’s previous texts about…

What happens when a person breathes, coughs, sneezes, or hiccups? Simon provides the answers in his latest science education book, written under the Smithsonian's imprimatur. Although this book isn't quite as detailed as some of the author's previous texts about the human body, there's still plenty of information for elementary-school readers, and as always, Simon brings the science close without condescension. Beginning with what happens when a person inhales, he goes on to discuss the parts of the respiratory system and how they work, with more particulars sometimes provided in the glossary. Each attractive,^B double-page spread^B features one page of spaciously laid out, informative text opposite a full-page, color illustration. The striking images include photos, diagrams, and color-enhanced X-rays of the nasal cavity, the trachea, the heart and major blood vessels, and more. The scary view of a smoker's damaged lungs, which appears opposite facts about serious respiratory problems, may inspire classroom discussion.
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CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

Instructions to take a deep breath and time how long you can hold it introduces the reader to an adventure through the respiratory system. We may be able to go without food for days, but we can only go for…

Instructions to take a deep breath and time how long you can hold it introduces the reader to an adventure through the respiratory system. We may be able to go without food for days, but we can only go for a minute or two before needing to take a breath. Oxygen is needed for many bodily functions as well as for breathing. Our respiratory system helps us to speak, blow balloons, and play a trumpet. The author takes us on a journey that begins with air entering the nose, traveling through the nasal cavity, sinuses, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and ending at the alveolar sacs, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. Along the way the role of each structure is explained clearly with interesting facts, such as: in the nasal cavity, the tiny olfactory cells numbering fifty million in humans (and two billion in dogs) can distinguish about ten thousand different odors. In addition to details of respiration we learn about coughing, sneezing, hiccups, and respiratory illnesses. Across from the easy-to-read text on each page are colorful and dramatic drawings or photos. A high-speed photo of a man sneezing is a graphic tool for teaching the importance of covering the mouth. Significant words in the text are highlighted and explained in a glossary. Part of a series with the "Smithsonian Institution," the book is a helpful addition to a curriculum on learning about the body.

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SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

Grade 3–6—This straightforward overview of the respiratory system follows the journey of a breath through the body. Color diagrams, X-rays, and photos provide visual support, though these are not always as well labeled as one would hope (a diagram of the nasal cavity is the worst offender). The book also covers related issues such as coughing, sneezing, hiccups, and respiratory problems and diseases. The writing is concise and full of clear examples meaningful to kids, and the glossary, index, and suggestions for further reading extend the book’s usefulness. More detailed than Suzanne LeVert’s The Lungs (Benchmark, 2001) and geared to an older audience than Pamela Hill Nettleton’s outstanding Breathe In, Breathe Out: Learning about Your Lungs (Picture Window, 2004), this is an excellent resource for reports. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Grade 3–6—This straightforward overview of the respiratory system follows the journey of a breath through the body. Color diagrams, X-rays, and photos provide visual support, though these are not always as well labeled as one would hope (a diagram of the nasal cavity is the worst offender). The book also covers related issues such as coughing, sneezing, hiccups, and respiratory problems and diseases. The writing is concise and full of clear examples meaningful to kids, and the glossary, index, and suggestions for further reading extend the book's usefulness. More detailed than Suzanne LeVert's The Lungs (Benchmark, 2001) and geared to an older audience than Pamela Hill Nettleton's outstanding Breathe In, Breathe Out: Learning about Your Lungs (Picture Window, 2004), this is an excellent resource for reports.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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