A Tour of the Human Body: Amazing Numbers—Fantastic Facts [Number Tours for Curious Kids]
by Jennifer Berne; illus. by Dawn DeVries Sokol
Primary, Intermediate    Kane/Astra    40 pp.
5/24    9781662670152    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781662670169    $11.99

Berne’s counts and measures of the cells and organs of the human body illustrate just how remarkable—and quantifiable—we are. “Did you know” that we are composed of “30 trillion cells,” eight thousand taste buds, and “60,000 miles” of blood vessels? Or that “15 million cells in your body were replaced by new ones in the time it took you to read this sentence”? Numerous other facts about our sensory organs and digestive, skeletal, respiratory, and circulatory systems are equally impressive. The organized layouts include diagrammatic illustrations that effectively portray each system, often within a child-size human body outline, accompanied by text on scraps of lined notebook paper that appear taped onto the pages. The end notes should not be skipped, as they include noteworthy details about the various systems, additional number facts, and an important statement about the degree of certainty of some of the numbers. An interactive section at the very end of the book encourages readers to measure their own bodies and to calculate the volume of their blood, their heart rate, and number of bones in their hands.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.