Health & Safety

FAVOR, Lesli J. Food as Foe: Nutrition and Eating Disorders. 127p. (Food and Fitness Series). charts. diags. photos. appendix. bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark. 2007. PLB $25.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-2553-3. LC 2006101931.

Gr 7-10–Dispelling such myths as people with eating disorders are always skinny and anorexia is a “girls-only” problem, the author examines the emotional connections people have to food and offers nutritional truths about what teen bodies need to function well. The slender volume is colorful and fact filled and will aid report writers, and may be a stepping-stone to getting help for some. B

MADARAS, Lynda. On Your Mark, Get Set, Grow!: A “What's Happening to My Body?” Book for Younger Boys. illus. by Paul Gilligan. 123p. index. CIP. Newmarket. 2008. Tr $22. ISBN 978-1-55704-780-9; pap. $12. ISBN 978-1-55704-781-6. LC 2007043095.

Gr 4-6–Madaras, a health education teacher and author of Ready, Set, Grow! (2003) for girls, uses an unabashedly reassuring style in her decidedly boy-friendly guide to puberty. Chapters include information on “B.O. and Zits” and “What's Up Down There?” while cartoon drawings provide anatomical details and comic relief. B

Depression…What YOU Can Do! (In the Mix Series). DVD. 22 min. Castle Works (castleworks.com). 2008. ISBN 1-931843-96-1. $69.95 (+ $5 s/h).

Gr 5-10–Created by teens for teens, this film encourages young people to seek help for friends who become seriously depressed, self-mutilate, or contemplate suicide. It features a discussion by a diverse group of 13-year-olds, an interview with a 15-year-old girl who cut herself, and information from a school guidance counselor and a child psychiatrist about depression. D

Eat Right for a Long & Healthy Life: What Everybody Needs to Know in Nine Nutritious Lessons. DVD. 1:42 hrs. Iris Media (lookiris.com). 2007. ISBN 978-1-932969-19-1. $45; school kit (3 copies of DVD, tchr's. guide), ISBN 978-1-932969-7: $85.

Gr 3-6–Using live-action segments and animation, brief vignettes present information about good nutrition and healthy routines. Concepts presented in the segments—“Lifestyle Turnaround,” “Calories, Smalories,” “Good Fat, Bad Fat,” “Activity Pyramid,” “Nuts about Nutrition,” “Water, Water Everywhere,” “Food Pyramid,” “Science of Food Labels,” and “Go, Slow, Whoa”—are reinforced with graphics and supplemented with real-life examples. D

Not Me! DVD. 22 min. Safer Me TV (safermetv.com). 2007. $19.95 (+ $3 s/h).

Gr 3-7–A young host walks viewers through vignettes that model best responses to potential abductions: a preteen girl communicating with a possible predator in an online chat room, a young boy approached by a stranger at a soccer field, and a girl inadvertently separated from her family at the grocery store. Expert safety advice is presented by professionals. An interactive quiz provides review. D

Safe Side: Internet Safety. DVD. 42 min. Prod. by The Safe Side. Dist. by AV Café (theavcafe.com). 2006, 2007 release. $14.99.

Gr 2-6–John Walsh and Julie Clark team up to offer important tips about smart downloads, opening emails, disabling pop-ups, and negotiating chat-room traps. Wacky film clips and goofy, kid-friendly characters provide levity. Teens who were lured into running away or were kidnapped by strangers they met on the Internet relate their experiences. D

The Totally Disgusting Gross Out Tobacco Video. video or DVD. 21 min. (closed captioned). with tchr's. guide, worksheets. Human Relations Media (hrmvideo.com). 2007. ISBN 978-1-55548-034-9. $119.95.

Gr 5-9–In this film, a high school student shows her computer-based health project to friends. Visuals include clips of yellow teeth, dripping phlegm, hairy tongues, diseased lungs, cancerous tumors, and other effects of tobacco use. Dark humor helps to debunk advertisements promoting tobacco's use. The film captures a realistic exchange among students who want their friends to quit smoking. Graphic pictures and interviews convey the ant-smoking message. V D