Guts: Our Digestive System

Bibliography:
Simon, Seymour. Guts: Our Digestive System. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2005. ISBN-13 9780060546519

Plot Summary:
Guts tells how food goes in and out of a body, with everything in between. It uses actual scientific terms and detailed photographs to depict the digestive system is its full glory.

Critical Analysis:
Guts is one of those books that should be in the library of any school that has a science program dealing with the human body. The fact that it uses the scientific labels for the parts of the body and the processes used in breaking down food allows it to be accessible to and relevant for older audiences, yet the simplicity of the language makes it understandable to children. It makes me wonder how much I would have learned if my textbooks had not been so dry and had instead been written with Simon’s talent.
The research all seems to be very in depth, with very detailed descriptions and photographs, but there is no page of resources or references for further reading. This seriously detracts from the usefulness of the book as a learning tool. However, the only aspect of it which seemed remotely out of date was the brief mention of the appendix. Simon says that the appendix “doesn’t seem to have any job at all” but science has since found what they believe to be its purpose: it may be a safe haven for healthy bacteria.
Overall, I look forward to reading other books by Seymour Simon, and I assume that anyone interested in Biology would find his book fascinating.

Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal: “Simon's specialty of drawing in readers through large, detailed, breathtaking photos and then entertaining them with facts is again in evidence. Beginning with the teeth, esophagus, and stomach, the information then winds its way through the small and large intestines, with the importance of the pancreas and liver included. The text is enhanced with detailed colored X rays, computer-generated pictures, and microscopic photos. The material is detailed, with terminology that may be difficult for children with no background, but not sophisticated enough to need a medical degree for interpretation. Students will find the book fascinating as well as a bit gross. Writers of health-related reports, as well as casual browsers, will surely put this title to use.”
Booklist: “The latest in Simon's books about the human body explains how the digestive system works. In his signature style, accessible without being cute or condescending, he describes the complex facts and processes of the physiology, from the time food enters the mouth until all the various organs transform it into energy, nutrients, and waste. Some of the text is quite dense, but the clearly labeled, full-page color photos show the anatomy close-up, from an X-ray of the colon and a photo of a dissected pancreas to a microscopic view of what heartburn looks like in the stomach. Simon also includes a page about a healthy diet. The facts of how the body works are astonishing. Readers older than the target audience may want to look at this, too.”

Connections:
Other parts of the body that Seymour Simon addresses include:
The Heart: Our Circulatory System. ISBN 9780060877217
The Brain: Our Nervous System. ISBN 9780060877194
Muscles: Our Muscular System. ISBN 9780688177201
Bones: Our Skeletal System. ISBN 9780688177218