Books for Kids about the Body

Books about the body for a 4-year-old

Nov 1999

Looking for suggestions of books on the human body, including reproductive info, for a four-year old. Not too cutesy (she knows ears, eyes, knees, etc.), but not so technical that it isn't entertaining.

I suggest you check out the bookstore on Oxford a couple of doors up from Ben and Jerry's. I think the name of the store is Living Arts or something like that. It supplies books for the nursing program at Merritt Community College and I think also for Samuel Merritt College (the private nursing college next door to Summit Hospital). This little bookstore is great! I went there to purchase my text book for a nutrition class at Laney. The prices are good and the people are great. They also carry general books for the layperson as well as the specialized texts. You can also find models, charts, and diagrams of various sorts. I'm pretty sure you will find what you need there. If not, the staff can certainly advise you on where to go.

I recently checked out a book from the Claremont Branch of the Berkeley library for my 3 year old. Parts of it were a little more than I was looking for, but it was set up in chapters, so it was very easy to read what I wanted to, and leave the rest. It was called What's the Big Secret? by Laurie Krasny Brown, and Marc Brown. It was also recommended this month in Parenting Magazine. (They recommend it for 5 and up, but like I say, I was able to take what I wanted and leave the rest, as my daughter can't read yet). Also (with the magazine on my lap) they recommend See How You Grow by Dr. Patricia Pearse (ages 4 and up), How You Were Born by Joanna Cole (ages 3 and up), and Did the Sun Shine Before You Were Born? (ages 5 and up) by Sol and Judith Gordon (Parenting Magazine, November 1999, page 133)

Here is one to check out for your 4-year old: *My Body* by Images, Designed by Emilie Beaumont, Text by P. Simon, Pictures by N. Soubrouillard. It's by Fleurus Press, ISBN Number 0-7651-9182-2. This book covers anatomy, the five senses, birth and growing up, and food and hygiene. They have three other books in the series. I think I bought this at Black Oak Books, Berkeley.

The book I really like is How Your Body Works, by Judy Hindley and Colin King, published by Usborne. I got it at Mr Mopp's a couple years ago--my son was 4-3/4 at the time. It has a lot of mechanical models but all the pictures are hand-drawn. If you want entertainment along with education, this book fits the bill.