Totally Human

Gr 4—7—Using funny, surreal composite illustrations, Nicolson and Eastman seek to depict a variety of biological facts as incongruent as the images. Exploring what makes humans crave junk food, yawn, cry, see colors, and various other attributes, the author relates the information to evolution and links humans to organisms as early as the first cells on the planet. The artist's playful juxtapositions place a frog's head on a boy's body so readers see the connection between tadpoles breathing air and hiccups. The vocabulary lesson that goes with a discussion of emesis (vomiting) also explains this process as a means of survival. While words like "amygdalae" are defined in context, there is no help with pronunciation. Colorful sidebars explain human oddities, revealing how attributes such as involuntary reflexes related to the survival of early man and continue to impact people today. A three-headed body reveals a frowning, smiling, and questioning face while the text explains how expressions are a language all humans know, but also describes Moebius syndrome. The bizarre image of a baby with a dolphin head may also cause readers to remember the significance of tickling. While the facts are uncommon and occasionally incredible, these are just the types of details that might inspire young fact hounds.—Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library