NONFICTION - The Heart: Our Circulatory System

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 1996. THE HEART: OUR CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0060877219

PLOT SUMMARY
In what could best be described as a nonfiction picture book, Seymour Simon explores many aspects of the human heart and its amazing function within the body. Parts of the heart such as the atrium, ventricle, aorta, vena cava, valves, and septum are identified through several simple and well labeled diagrams. The heart’s capacity as an incredibly powerful pump is depicted in various computer-enhanced photographs of blood cells moving through arteries and veins, In an accurate and straightforward fashion, the book goes on to outline the role of the heart in the circulatory system, the respiratory system, and the immune system. The text also explores several types of heart problems such as blockage, angina, strokes, and irregular heartbeats. The book concludes with descriptions of coronary bypass surgery and angioplasty as treatments for some heart disease. The book’s fascinating comparisons grab and hold the attention of even the most reluctant reader.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Simon’s use of vivid comparisons to help the reader understand the magnitude of the heart and its functions is the hallmark of this informational book. An example of this trademark characteristic occurs when Simon communicates, “We each have about twenty-five trillion red blood cells, hundreds of times more blood cells than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy.” Other descriptive comparisons include the heart weighing about as much as one sneaker, capillaries being thinner than human hairs, and the body containing enough blood vessels to stretch around the earth two and half times. These fascinating relationships grab and hold the attention of even the most reluctant reader. In addition to Simon’s unique style, the use of scanning electron microscopes and computer colored micrographs allow for a visual revelry including close-ups of donut shaped blood cells, a sea of capillaries, and the web-like pattern of clotting blood.

Although very accurate, the book may occasionally miss the mark of its intended 3rd to 5th grade reading audience on some accounts. While the book is often informative and engaging, at points it drifts into some concepts that are perhaps too complex for young readers. For example, when studying the immune system, not even high school biology students venture into the realms of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes. The book might also benefit from a more organized structure such as titles for each page or section. Often, there are not clear transitions from one topic to the next. Titles would help guide the reader through the text.

A brief glossary and an index round out this nonfiction text on the heart.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
* ALA Booklist starred review - 1996
* SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW: “Simon approaches the human heart as he approached outer space and oceans: as an adventure to be explored. As always, the full-page, full-color photographs are spectacular, and the text is crisp and full of detail. In a conversational yet instructive style, the author presents young readers with fascinating information that will almost certainly spur them on to read more.”
* BOOKLIST REVIEW: “The text is succinct and direct, making the details understandable without losing the sense that the whole process of circulation is "strange and wonderful." Handsome and well-conceived in every way, this book provides an excellent introduction to its subject.”
* KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Stunning full-color photos appear on every page, many taken inside the human body with scanners, X-rays, and other devices, and then computer-enhanced. The same science savvy and enthusiasm that has made Simon's titles on the universe so popular has been turned inward to uncover extraordinary facts about the human body.”

CONNECTIONS
* Have students measure their heart rates at rest and after play or exercise. Record this data in different ways using several types of charts and graphs. Discuss what other things can make a person’s heart rate change.
* Read Simon’s various other books about the human body. Then, create life size drawings of the body by lying on 6 foot long pieces of art paper. Using what has been learned, draw and label all the body’s parts and various systems.
* Learn even more about the amazing human body with Seymour Simon:
1) Simon, Seymour. THE BRAIN: OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM. ISBN 0688170609
2) Simon, Seymour. BONES: OUR SKELETAL SYSTEM. ISBN 0688177212
3) Simon, Seymour. GUTS: OUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. ISBN 0060546514
4) Simon, Seymour. MUSCLES: OUR MUSCULAR SYSTEM. ISBN 0688177204
5) Simon, Seymour. EYES AND EARS. ISBN 0060733020