Some Body!

In this handsomely designed oversize book, Rowan (Can You Get Warts from Touching Toads?) makes clever use of superlatives to explain the remarkable workings of the human body--the sperm is the ""most upwardly mobile cell""; vacuoles boast ""the greatest delivery service systems"" of any cell. Interspersed among concise, accessible explanations of key body parts and functions are other little-known physical attributes, such as the body's fastest-growing part (hair), hardest substance (tooth enamel), most colorful muscle (the eye's iris) and strongest joints (the hip's). Temperton's meticulous, lifelike renderings range from elaborate cross-sections to detailed spot art, while complete or partial fold-outs on 10 pages afford a more realistic scale and show precisely what lies beneath specific body parts. Much of Rowan's text is presented in extended captions, so that the information is easy to comprehend and--well--digest. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)