THE HUMAN BODY. We all have one, we couldn’t really do without one, but how much do we actually know about it and how it functions? Externally, the human body is made up of five basic parts: the head, neck, torso, arms and legs. Delve beneath the skin and you will find a complex network of biological systems all working together to make us function, to be alive! The human body is actually extremely interesting.
There are plenty of books on human anatomy, the science that studies the structure of the body, but reading and understanding one can be quite an involved task – this is why doctors and medical professionals spend years and years learning and practicing their craft.
The writer, comedian and former doctor Adam Kay has written a children’s educational book about biology and the human body, a book on human anatomy that children will just adore and really enjoy reading (and digest very easily) – this book is called Kay’s Anatomy! And before parents and carers start complaining that they don’t want their children learning about anatomy from a comedian (after all, how accurate will the information be?), Adam Kay used to be a junior doctor in the NHS for a number of years in the gruelling obstetrics and gynaecology department, so he actually does know what he is talking about.
Anyway, back to the book. Kay’s Anatomy is a complete (and completely disgusting) guide to the human body. It details the wonders and complete weirdness of the inner workings of a human body. It covers every from acne, arteries and autism to veins, viruses and vomit – what more could you want? It is written and presented in a fashion that will appeal to young readers and they will want to put down their electronic devices (their phones, tablets and Xbox controllers) just to read it – that is unless they are reading it on a Kindle of course!
The human body with its many functions, various organs, miles of veins, tubes and its 10 units of blood (about 5 litres) can be a very dry, difficult and even boring topic for adults, never mind children to have an interest in.
In this book, Adam Kay has taken human anatomy and turned it into a fun subject looking at the organs and their functions, what blood is for and how it is made, how humans reproduce and even life and death, and plenty more over its 400 pages. Think of it as a fun and interesting instruction manual for your body, organ by organ. And yes kids, to provide a bit of light-hearted humorous relief, there are plenty of poo references along the way to keep you all giggling (you will discover why your poo is brown for example, just so that you can stop wondering). And for those worried parents that think it is going to be a comedic poo reference book, it doesn’t just focus on the silly poo and fart references, it also looks at more serious topics like the dangers and effects of smoking, drug misuse and alcohol have on the body as well as healthy eating and getting enough sleep and exercise. It won’t make you a medical expert or turn you into a doctor overnight, but it is a great way to get a simplistic and accurate view of how the human body works.
Overall, Adam Kay has written a remarkable educational children’s book that is not only packed with factual information about the wonder that is the human body and the fascinating way it functions but also one that is chockfull of humour that children will love and actually learn a lot from. It is an intriguing and captivating look at the anatomy of humans, written in a humorous way that is not condescending and uses very child friendly terminology as a way of getting the information across and helping children retain what they have read.
Written by a comedic writer you expect it to be funny and yes, it is. But whilst in delivers facts about human biology in an amusing way, it does so without losing sight of the topic or making it sound silly or too outrageous (I mean, what other book on anatomy would you read a line about a kangaroo in a bow tie teaching you fractions whilst twerking and still actually be learning something?).
Featuring informative facts such the how the brain can process 400 billion things a second, with the addendum of how many years it would take you to count to 400 billion, questions answered like are bogeys safe to eat? and How much of your life will you spend sitting on the toilet? Children (and fun loving adults) won’t be able to put this book down (or regurgitating their new-found wealth of knowledge to their friends, family and teachers).
It isn’t a book with page after page of facts and figures, to add a bit of extra fun, entertainment and enjoyment to the book, it has some excellent comic illustrations by Henry Paker to break up the text. Whilst these illustrations are fun, they are also very enlightening and help get the information in the written text across to the reader in a very good visual way.
Kay’s Anatomy is an amusing, entertaining, enjoyable and light-hearted but very informative book that every school age child should read! It’s a fun read whilst at the same time being very educational and an excellent way to learn more about the human body. This is definitely a book that will educate and support biology lessons, in a fun and informative way covering the key stage 2/3 human biology syllabus (in a slightly repulsive way).
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £14.99 (Hardback) / £8.99 (Paperback) / £8.99 (Kindle)
Available to buy from Amazon here.
