Hands illustrated in “Human Anatomy: The Definitive Visual Guide” are larger than life.
The British publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK) recently sent a couple hefty 20-by-12-inch books to the office for our review. The illustrations and images are detailed and colorful, and the text is very advanced in places. The books are geared to fourth graders and up, including adults.
Human Anatomy: The Definitive Visual Guide, edited by Professor Alice Roberts, and The Human Brain Book by Rita Carter—both new for 2014—are huge books. Fully open, they measure 20 inches wide by 12 inches high. Each book is like a giant iPad.
Last November, I wrote an article titled “Words on paper deliver comprehension” about a Scientific American article that described how the size, shape and feel of the book better connect our brains to the meaning of the writing.
A study cited in an April 10, 2014 New York Times article titled “Students Reading E-Books Are Losing Out, Study Suggests” explains how e-books can be distracting. How many of you remember spending most of your time on the “Oregon Trail” computer game hunting deer instead of calculating how many supplies you’ll need to make the trip?
According to the study cited in the article, compared to reading from a paper book, e-books that play audio and display visual animations interfere with students’ reading skills and diminish their comprehension. Some e-book features—like the “read to me” audio—are attractive, but it’s not difficult to imagine a student playing with the “fun” features instead of reading the story.
The authors of the study in the Times article, Heather Ruetschlin Schugar and Jordan T. Schugar, also collaborated with Carol A. Smith on another study, “Teaching with Interactive Picture E-Books in Grades K–6.” The study explains how teachers must teach students how to use e-books’ visual and audio features to enhance comprehension, but also set ground rules for proper use of a digital reading device.
Illustrations in The Human Anatomy are nearly life size in some cases and larger than life in others, like the illustration of the bones in the hand. Both the anatomy book and the brain book offer extensive, detailed information on the systems of the body and the workings of the human brain, respectively.
Elementary school students will find many of the explanations above their current comprehension level, but the illustrations will entice them to revisit the book as they progress through school. Middle and high school students can also benefit.
The brain book comes with a DVD, but other than spectacular animation of how an electrical impulse travels across nerves and synapses, the book is all kids will need.
Both books are just over 250 pages. The anatomy book’s price on the book jacket is $30 and the brain book is $40, but they should sell for less online. Human Anatomy comes in e-book format—probably since no one wants to lug it on an airplane or in a car.
From The Human Brain Book.