Reviewed by Ann Rubino
Adjunct, Lewis University College of Education
The new Slim Goodbody series Body Buddies provides a rich supply of physiological and health information for intermediate students. The author has done a remarkable job of distilling the essential ideas about how the body functions into a few short pages.
John Burstein (a.k.a., Slim Goodbody) has created a set of cartoon characters to help students understand how their various body systems work. “Cognos,” “Gurgle,” “Huff and Puff,” “Ticker,” “Squirt,” and “Flex and Strut” each represent a system, and a quick overview of each system’s functions appears at the beginning of each book. The main character takes readers on a tour of the system, using clear detailed drawings, examples, pictures of kids using the system, and plentiful precise vocabulary. As interactions with other systems are explained, their little character takes over the narrative.
These books do not talk down to young readers who are curious about real scientific information. In fact, the physiological information is remarkably complete and detailed—far beyond what you would expect in an intermediate-level book. The language is simple but accurate, and that is the beauty of the book. Accuracy has not been sacrificed to a readability score, and necessary technical words are explained in a short glossary. As each basic idea is presented, there is a little demonstration or activity (much too short to qualify for a lab) that gives kids with varying intelligences a chance to learn in their own way. Each book has a sentence-completion “puzzle,” a page of amazing facts, and several internet resources to round out the volume.
The Mighty Muscular-Skeletal System employs "Flex and Strut" to explain the anatomy in beautiful detail using diagrams, kids' photos, and cartoons to get the main points across. The various kinds of bone are shown, and the function of marrow is explained.
This series could well be the backbone of an intermediate-level, six-week unit on the human body. The physiology is well-founded and clear, the presentation is appealing, and there is just enough detail to make it interesting without overburdening students with detail. Although specific assessments are not included, appropriate ones could easily be developed. The information is rich and complete enough to overcome any drawback in that regard. Burstein’s long experience in teaching children about their bodies shows up well in this series. He makes it look easy.
Review posted on 5/6/2009
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