My oldest is currently fascinated with anatomy. It is so much fun to see their curiosity about where their food goes when they eat it and what their bones look like and skeletal structure. Of course, one of my favorite ways to encourage this curiosity is through books. When they look through they have so much wonder at the photos and I love how they will excitedly point out something like a microscopic photo of a cell and ask me to tell them about it. We have spent so much time pouring overt these books. Maybe they will grow up to be a doctor? Either way, we are having fun. Below are some of our favorite anatomy books for kids. Because some of them are comprehensive looks at the body, a few of them do address reproduction, pregnancy or reproductive organs in some kid friendly way or another. Be aware and choose the appropriate books for your child based on your feelings about age appropriateness and what-not.
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“Human Body! (Knowledge Encyclopedias” by DK- This huge book is thick and PACKED with information! One of our favorite things about it is all of the actual photographs that it includes as opposed to just illustrations. We have spent a TON of time in this one! I would say that it is geared towards older readers in general though.
“Professor Astro Cat’s Human Body Odyssey” by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman- We love Professor Astro Cat and this book is no exception. It has the boy split up by systems and provides an illustrative look as well as easy to understand description of processes. The design is fabulous and Professor Astro Cat makes it extra appealing.
“Atlas of the Human Body” by Kanitta Meechubot and Dr Vanessa Jessop- Don’t be fooled by this unpretentious cover, this book is incredible!!! The fist section is filled with die cut illustrations of a body that is formatted so that with each turn of the page you get a look of the next cross-cut layer of the anatomy. It’s hard to explain, but seriously incredible. The last section has illustrations of individual parts of anatomy such as organs and veins along with some descriptions. We love this one!
“Illumanatomy” by Kate Davies and Carnovsky- This book is ah.ma.zing! You use a special lens that comes with a book so that when looking through you can see 3 images on one illustration. For example, when looking at a full body image you can see the skeletal structure through one, the muscular structure with another and the circulatory system with the last. SO COOL!
“Book of Bones” by Gabrielle Balkan and Sam Brewster- Okay, so this book covers anatomy from a variety of different creatures, but it does include a human skeletal structure in the mix. It helps children understand the skeletal structure better in general and helps them to see some fascinating adaptations that animals have in theirs such as a giraffes incredibly long neck. We especially love that the illustrations have raised, textures “skeletal structures” over some illustrations for you to feel with your fingertips.
“The Adventures of Your Brain” by Dan Green and Sean Sims- In my opinion the brain is the most fascinating organ in our body. This oversized nonfiction books discusses the many functions of the brain in such a kid-friendly and fun format. There are bright illustrations and flaps, pull tabs and pop-ups throughout. Definitely a winner!
“Look Inside Your Body” by Louie Stowell- This larger, lift-the-flap board book is a huge favorite over here! There are so many flaps to lift (over 100!) and the illustrations are appealing. This book in particular is geared towards a younger audience and is very basic and simple in it’s approach. Perfect for preschoolers in my opinion.
“Squishy Human Body” by Smartlab Toys- Okay, so this isn’t a book exactly, but it does come with a booklet! However, it is here because this beauty is seriously too good not to include. The booklet explains the different organs and body systems in the model and the kit includes a plastic human body model and stand, 9 squishy organs and 12 bones that fit inside, forceps and tweezers for taking it apart and putting it together and a body parts organizer to help you identify the organs when they are removed. This kit has my child completely starry-eyed!!!
“X-Ray Me!: Look inside your body” by Felicitas Horstschafer and Johannes Vogt- This board book doesn’t have a lot of “meat” to it as far as content goes, but the format is genius. It has two handles on either side when you open it up and then you place the book in front of your body to show the organs/systems inside of you that would be behind it. Kind of like getting a pretend x-ray look inside your body. Like I said, genius!
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Sunanda says
Love your blog . Awesome content. Is there a good anatomy book for 1 year old ? I have baby’s belly button book, but it’s very limited.