Book Review of GUTS: OUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Bibliography:

Simon, Seymor. 2005. Guts: Our digestive system. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 0060546522


Summary:

In Guts: Our Digestive System, Seymour Simon describes what happens to food as it travels through a person's digestive system. He begins with chewing the food and then follows the food down the esophagus, through the stomach, the small intestine, and the large intestine, describing how nutrients are removed and the waste is excreted from the body.


Critical Analysis:

I selected Guts: Our Digestive System to review after scanning a library catalog listing of books written by Seymour Simon. I was intrigued by the title. Instead of using a scientific term, the author simply selected the word "guts", which immediately captures the reader’s attention. In addition, upon pulling the book from the shelf, the reader views a cover showing a color x-ray of the small and large intestines. A person may not be able to identify what is depicted on the cover, but the color and image grabs his attention, so he is more likely to pick up the book and read it. The author's use of word choice and visual images to pique the reader’s interest is supplemented by a well-written text which maintains interest in the topic from cover to cover.

Seymour Simon, who taught Science for twenty-three years and has written over 200 science books for children, captivates his audience through his style of writing and the facts he presents. When you think of reading about the digestive tract, your first thought is BORING, because you are reminded of Science textbooks. However, Simon's Guts is not a textbook. Simon has created an informational book about the digestive system which presents basic facts as well as interesting ones; provides dramatic real-life images and photographs of the digestive tract; and also contains humor. This combination results in a book that teaches and entertains at the same time. The author does not present facts about the digestive system in a typical textbook manner or in a condescending tone. Instead, he writes in a conversational style as if he is presenting a unit to his class. The introductory paragraph states, "You probably eat three meals and several snacks a day. That adds up to several hundred pounds of food in a year. The digestive system turns the truckload of sandwiches, milk, salads, and pizza that you eat each year into the energy and nutrients that your body needs." Instead of starting out with a hard to understand definition, Simon relates the topic to something that children understand - the food they eat provides their body with the energy and nutrients it needs. He doesn't get too technical or "fancy". He keeps it simple as he follows food through the guts, beginning with chewing food and ending with the removal of waste from the body.

In addition to presenting facts in a manner that children can understand, the author also uses comparisons that make sense to children. He compares peristalsis, the movement of the muscles in the esophagus that pushes food to the stomach, to "squeezing a tube of toothpaste". Although most children have no clue what peristalsis is, they have all squeezed a tube of toothpaste and are aware that the pressure exerted on the tube results in toothpaste coming out of it. This comparison of an unknown topic to something they do on a daily basis allows readers to instantly relate to what is being discussed.

When presenting scientific information about the gastrointestinal tract, it seems that it would be difficult to keep the readers' attention, but Simon succeeds through his every day comparisons and the inclusion of gross details and interesting facts throughout the book. When discussing the enzymes in the stomach, Simon reveals one of the enzymes, hydrochloric acid "is so powerful that it could burn a hole in clothing or dissolve an iron nail"; however, the reader learns that the stomach is protected because it is "lined with a coating of protective mucus. . . the cells wear out quickly and are replaced. Every three or four days, you have an entirely new stomach lining." Facts, such as this, captivate readers and encourage them to continue to read to see what other interesting information they might discover.

The final element which adds to the enjoyment of Guts is the collection of pictures included. Every other page is a full-page illustration of a colored x-ray image, an endoscopic picture, or a microscopic view of the various parts of the digestive system. The pictures dominate the book, and the use of alternating black and white pages increases the dramatic effect drawing the readers’ attention to each one. The images depicted are ones that people normally do not see, such as an endoscopic picture of the surface of a stomach which accompanies an x-ray showing what a healthy stomach looks like. The use of real-life pictures reinforces the information being presented. Instead of just reading that "an empty stomach is shaped like the letter J" and that "deep, soft folds called rugae line the inside of the stomach", the reader can see for himself. Although the images play a dominant part in Guts, they do not detract from the information presented. Instead, they reinforce the information and increase the readers' interest in the topic.

Guts: Our Digestive System is an entertaining, informative book about a topic that is often treated in a dry manner. When asked in an interview what makes a good nonfiction book, Seymour Simon said, ". . . making sure what you write is stimulating and opens up the world instead of just answering questions and closing down any further investigation, or any further interest." (Simon 2002-2004). The author has succeeded in doing just this in Guts. Readers will walk away from this book with a basic knowledge of how their digestive system works. The author's use of actual images and his presentation of the material simplified with every day comparisons and interesting facts will enable the reader to retain the information learned and, perhaps, prompt him to read and learn more on the topic.


Review Excerpts:

Horn Book Guide (October 2005) - "Simon goes well beyond basic organ description to describe the components and processes involved in each step of digestion. Great photographs and images of organs get readers into the Guts mood and include close-ups of various organs in all their glistening, gristly glory. Good captioning addresses both what is portrayed and how it was imaged."

School Library Journal (April 2005) - "Simon's specialty of drawing in readers through large, detailed, breathtaking photos and then entertaining them with facts is again in evidence. Beginning with the teeth, esophagus, and stomach, the information then winds its way through the small and large intestines, with the importance of the pancreas and liver included. The text is enhanced with detailed colored X rays, computer-generated pictures, and microscopic photos. The material is detailed, with terminology that may be difficult for children with no background, but not sophisticated enough to need a medical degree for interpretation. Students will find the book fascinating as well as a bit gross."

Booklist (March 2005) - "The latest in Simon's books about the human body explains how the digestive system works. In his signature style, accessible without being cute or condescending, he describes the complex facts and processes of the physiology, from the time food enters the mouth until all the various organs transform it into energy, nutrients, and waste. . .The facts of how the body works are astonishing. Readers older than the target audience may want to look at this, too."


Connections:

Use this book when studying a unit on the digestive system. Compare the information presented in the Science textbook with the information presented in Guts. How are they similar? How are they different? Which one do they feel provides the best information? Why? Discuss the use of nonfiction books to supplement textbooks.

Have students visit the website, Science Bob, at http://www.sciencebob.com/lab/bodyzone/bodyzonef.html. Read the “interesting facts” provided about the digestive system. Compare the information provided with the information provided in Guts. What new information is learned from this website?


Additional books on the digestive system:

Houghton, Gillian. GUTS: THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. ISBN 1404234705

Parker, Steve. BREAK IT DOWN!: THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. ISBN 1410926583

Petrie, Kristin. THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. ISBN 159679710X

Walker, Denise. BODY SYSTEMS. ISBN 1583409904

World Book, Inc. Staff. THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM/THE URINARY SYSTEM.
ISBN 0716644290


Resources:

Simon, Seymour. 2002-2004. Seymour Simon. http://www.seymoursimon.com (accessed October 19, 2007).