Inside the Human Body

You know, ever since I first laid eyes on my owner I wondered, how does he get around in that big 'ol body of his? How does that body work - mainly support all that weight. All cheap shots at my owner aside, a new book we received this week gave us both a little more information about how the human body works.
The book is called Discoverology: Human Body. This book contains very detailed illustrations and explanatory text about the different parts and systems of the human body. But the coolest part, by far, was the many interactive and three-dimensional models that are included throughout this book. Each page contains an interactive aspect of some sort. There are tabs to pull that move body parts, foldout posters, tabs to lift up and look inside a specific part (the model of the brain and skull was easily my favorite).

Models include:

• A pop up skull with flaps that reveal the brain inside
• A pop up skeleton
• A movable set of lungs that show breathing
• A pop up intestine (umm...yummy)
• A pull tab of growing hair and more

This is a very cool book to have in a library. Although I can see some students sniggering and laughing at the page about the human reproductive system. The 3D replicas and models will have kids captivated for a while as it seems that there is always something new to pull or turn. I enjoyed looking through the colorful illustrations and photos. A very informational book.

Four biscuits for this one, simply because the models are fantastic. For a four legged creature who doesn't know much about this human body that sits around the house all day and blames me for the strange noises and smells that periodically make themselves known, this was a very interesting and exciting book.
I found the perfect place in this book to hide my jerky treat (right behind the frontal lobe of the brain model) so I think I'm going to go and smuggle that treat so I can find it later. So long for now!






Publisher: Barron's
ISBN: 13-9780-7641-6083-7
Price: $18.99

Traces of what?

A picture book is something that we haven't had the chance to read in a long long time. We like them because we can read them really fast. The book we pulled out of the box was a book by author, Paula Fox. She is a famous author who has written some popular books including, The Slave Dancer, and other very good literary works.
With that being said, I was very excited about getting my nose into this one, at least I was until I started reading it. The book, I'm guessing, is about the different tracks, or traces, that things leave on the environment and our world. These include animals, children, dinosaurs, and even Mother Nature.

Something, someone was just there,
Now there's barely a trace of it...

This phrase is repeated over and over and over again. Got kind of tiring after a while. I'm sorry, but I didn't get the point of the story. I'm thinking that this is a poem that Mrs. Fox had written and had it turned into a picture book. As I was reading through, I was thinking that maybe there was an environmental lesson in there somewhere, but it wasn't to be found, unless I missed it. I am a dog after all, and any traces I usually leave behind are to be avoided. I guess, knowing who wrote the book, I was a bit disappointed.
The pictures weren't too bad, and had a unique textured look to them. Nothing to get terribly excited about however. This book was a big let down for me, so I'm going to give this book:

This book for me earned an extra half of a biscuit because the illustrations helped out a little bit from it being a total snoozer.

Naked Bunyips? Should I be Hearing this?

A new box came today and my owner ripped it right open. There were about eight new books for us to choose from and what's at the top of the box, but a book called Naked Bunyip Dancing. Naked what? Naked? Should an innocent little pooch like me be listening to a book like this. What the hell is a bunyip anyway?
Naked Bunyip Dancing is a book written in verse by author Steven Herrick. I remember he wrote a book called The Wolf that I read last summer. Anyway, the story is about a sixth grade class who are just starting a new school year with a new male teacher named Mr. Carey. Now Mr. Carey is not like other teachers, he's a bit weird. He takes time out of class to do yoga, listen to Bob Dylan, and loves to recite poetry. The sixth grade class (6C) has quite the cast of characters in it as well. There is the class room romance between Emily and Jason (complete with smooching), the singer, Anna, the rapper, J-Man, the "tough" guy punk rock lover, Billy, and the classroom farter, Peter (my kind of guy). The class decides to put on a concert to show off their various talents. It was either that or the play Romeo and Juliet, that Emily wanted to do so she could have a reason to kiss her boyfriend, Jason. The story is told through each student in the class and each has it's own unique perspective to add to the story.
So, what did I think. I liked it. I did really like it. There were enough funny spots to keep me interested and I loved hearing the story from so many different perspectives. The setting is obviously in Australia, because of all the references and funny words. I think kids in my owner's classroom would like it, even though it is poetry.
I'm a little rusty at this but I think I'm ready to hand out my bones on this one:

I think that being set in Australia will interest American readers if they can get over that the book is written in verse style. By the way, a bunyip is a legendary creature in Australian folklore, kind of similar to our legendary Sasquatch. Well, I need to be on my way and get cracking on the rest of those books, besides, I smell...good god...is that, yes, yes it is. Snausages! A good book and a yummy treat what more could I ask for! See ya!







Publisher: Front Street
ISBN:978-1-59078-499-0
Price: $16.95