Books in Checkerboard Books series

Through engaging text, readers learn about the human body's digestive system, which turns the foods you eat into substances your body can use. This book explains how food moves through the digestive system. Readers learn that chewing breaks food into small pieces and helps saliva reach all of the food. The tongue's duties, which are to mix the food with saliva, position the food within the mouth, form food pieces into a bolus, and finally push the bolus to the back of the mouth, are also discussed. Other topics discussed include the pharynx, or throat, the esophagus, the large intestine, and the small intestine, and the pancreas, which releases enzymes, such as amylase and maltase to break down carbohydrates, trypsin to break down proteins, and lipase to break down fats to break down food into its individual nutrients. Readers will learn how extra gas gets into the body, how it escapes, and how to prevent it. Digestive problems, such as indigestion, and ways to keep the digestive system working properly, including a healthy diet with plenty of fiber, are also highlighted. Full-color photos, detailed diagrams, medical models, phonetics, glossary, and index enhance the text.

Through engaging text, readers learn about the human body's circulatory system, which consists of the heart, the blood vessels, and the blood that is pumped through them. Readers discover that the circulatory system transports oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, carries away waste products, sends out disease fighters, and regulates the body's temperature. Topics discussed include the lungs, the kidneys, and diseases that affect the circulatory system. A detailed diagram allows readers to follow a drop of blood through the circulatory system. Ways to maintain a healthy circulatory system are also highlighted. Full-color photos, phonetics, glossary, and index enhance the text.

Through engaging text, readers learn about the human body's skeletal system, which is made up of all the bones in the body. The book explains that bones hold you up, protect delicate organs such as your heart, help you move, and store fat, phosphorus, and calcium. Readers discover that ligaments and tendons hold bones together, a joint is where two bones meet, and bone marrow makes red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout your body, and white blood cells, which help fight germs. Kid-friendly text explains the axial skeleton, which includes the skull, the spine, the breastbone, and ribs, and the appendicular skeleton, which includes all the bones that branch off the axial skeleton, including arms, hands, legs, and feet. Readers learn that babies are born with 300 bones, some of which are made of cartilage. The hardening and fusing of bones as babies grow is discussed. Also highlighted are bone fractures and how they heal; diseases that affect the skeletal system, such as arthritis and osteoporosis; and how to care for the skeletal system with a healthy diet, plenty of calcium, and lots of exercise. Full-color photos, detailed diagrams, medical models, phonetics, glossary, and index enhance the text.

Through engaging text, readers learn about the human body's respiratory system. Topics include the nose, sinuses, windpipe, bronchial tree, throat, tonsils, larynx, and lungs. Readers learn that snot keeps the lining of the body's airways from drying out and that the diaphragm is the main respiratory muscle. A detailed diagram allows readers to follow a molecule of oxygen through the respiratory system. Kid-friendly text introduces respiratory problems, such as the common cold and influenza, and diseases, such as asthma and lung cancer. Also highlighted are ways to keep the respiratory system in good shape. Full-color photos, medical models, phonetics, glossary, and index enhance the text.

Through engaging text and full-color photos, readers learn that there are 600 muscles in the human body and that there are three different types of muscles, cardiac, smooth, and skeletal. Other topics discussed include tendons, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscles, which make up the walls of blood vessels, the stomach, and intestines and are found in the body's hollow organs. The book explains that cardiac and smooth muscle are involuntary muscles, while skeletal muscles are voluntary. Readers discover that every muscle has its own name, including flexors, extensors, abductors, and adductors. Readers also learn that the trapezius and gluteus maximus muscles are examples of muscles that are named for their size, shape, or location. Muscular diseases and the ways to keep muscles healthy, including exercise and a healthy diet are also highlighted. Detailed diagrams, medical models, phonetics, glossary, and index enhance the text.

Through engaging, easy-to-read text, young readers learn that the human body's nervous system is like a supercomputer that coordinates all of the body's actions and reactions. Both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system, as well as their parts are discussed. Readers discover that the brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system and that the spinal cord connects the brain to the peripheral nervous system, which contains all the nerves in the body. The book explains that the nervous system makes the heart beat, keeps us breathing, and allows us to see and read. The brain's various parts, the cerebrum, the cerebellum, the brain stem, the hippocampus, the pituitary gland, and the hypothalamus, are also discussed, as well as the functions of these various parts, including control of our voluntary and involuntary muscles, control of our memory, sending growth hormones throughout the body, and regulating the body's temperature. A detailed diagram of a labeled neuron is included. Kid-friendly text and a graphic explanation describe how pain messages throughout the body. Senses, reflexes, and diseases that cause the nervous system to function improperly, such as multiple sclerosis and epilepsy, are also discussed. Common brain and spinal cord injuries and the ways to avoid these injuries are also highlighted. Readers also learn about the nutrients necessary to keep the nervous system working properly. These include glucose, fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Full-color photos, detailed diagrams, medical models, phonetics, glossary, and index enhance the text.