About the Author

Jana has been interested in animals and nature since she was a child. She graduated in Zoology from Charles University in Prague and decided to pursue research by working at the Institute of Vertebrate Biology at the Czech Academy of Sciences. Today, as a busy mother of three, she doesn't have much time for research anymore! She devotes most of her time to her family and co-writing children's books.

A bookworm, keen traveller, and lover of original stories, Radka was born in a Moravian metropolis. She opted to study foreign languages at university where, as a student, she completed several study stays and internships in France and Germany. As she made up her mind what to do next, she journeyed to distant corners of the world. After graduation, she worked as an intern in an editorial department and freelanced as a proofreader of books and also as a copywriter. She has realised a dream in joining a publishing house where she is involved in the creation of books for children.

Lida Larina is an illustrator and artist from Moscow, Russia. She graduated from Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry in 2015 and later studied illustration at the British Higher School of Art & Design. She draws illustrations for children's books, magazines, web blogs, and cartoons. Lida is inspired by nature, animals, the sound of the trees, and the smell of books.

Reviews

How do our bodies work? This intriguing Czech import describes seven of the systems that make our bodies work: the skeletal, muscular, digestive and excretory, circulatory, respiratory, nervous, and reproductive systems. There are two spreads devoted to each system. The first describes the system in humans. Gatefolds on either side show eight other animals from around the world. Opening these full-length panels reveals variations of the system in each of these animals. Color-coded tags helpfully indicate the animal's basic group, such as birds, reptiles, or mollusks. The second spread offers further details about the system, such as various types of muscles, how the shape of an animal's teeth depends on the kind of food they eat, how the heart works, cutaneous respiration (skin breathing), and more. Most information is conveyed in short paragraphs, often with a topic title, and each page includes an additional factoid in a "Did You Know?" box. The illustrations are stylized, colorful, and gently humorous; arrows connecting explanatory text to the relevant body part make the information easy to digest. Pink-hued human silhouettes have no details beyond the system being described. The chosen facts are accurate and appropriate to elementary school readers with inquiring minds. Anatomy titles for this age group are usually focused on the human body or specific body parts. The comparative approach makes this one stand out. An appealing and enlightening, hands-on, full-bodied approach. (Nonfiction. 7-10)