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41st out of 156 books
—
56 voters
The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body
In this comprehensive and entertaining resource, David Macaulay reveals the inner workings of the human body as only he could. In order to present this complicated subject in an accurate and entertaining way, he put in years of research. He sat in on anatomy classes, dissections, and even reached inside the rib cages of two cadavers to compare their spleen sizes. He observ...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
October 7th 2008
by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
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David Macaulay's spent five years researching and creating the book The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body. Macaulay creates all of his books to learn about the topic, and in turn, he helps the reader learn something as well. This is reflected in his voice throughout the book. He intertwines understandable descriptions and correct terminology to give the reader all they need to know about the human body. He builds the body up, moving from small cells and atoms that create larger...more
Non-Fiction. A walk through the human body, starting at the atomic level, moving on to tissues and organs, and ending with reproduction, accompanied with a variety of illustrations. The book is fun (in the appendix, there's an appendix!); the writing can be jokey and the illustrations often include ladders and tiny people commenting on the action. The artwork is colorful and detailed, frequently depicting human systems as factories or machines.
So it's playful, but there's serious science going o...more
So it's playful, but there's serious science going o...more
Macaulay takes apart our bodies and organizes them by function, with humor, intensity and his characteristic artistic skill. The complexity is profound, his respect, clear and the explanations perhaps more complete than some would want, but very informative. A book for all the family to read in bits and pieces, as the spirit, or their body, moves them.
In a companion volume to THE WAY THINGS WORK, Macaulay tackles anatomy and physiology. The best nonfiction book of the year--and one of the very best in any genre.
I mostly just flipped through it. I was bored. Thought it would be more captivating. Well done book, just not for me.
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I am borrowing a lovely review by Carol Hurst:
Macaulay has turned his able hand from The Way Things Work to The Way We Work. Well written with fascinating drawings he breaks human anatomy and physiology into seven chapters: Building Life (cell structure), Air Traffic Control (respiration), Let's Eat (digestion), Who's in Charge Here (nervous system), Battle Stations (immune system), Moving On (skeletal and musculature), and Extending the Line (reproduction). Most of the 336 pages are covered wit...more
Macaulay has turned his able hand from The Way Things Work to The Way We Work. Well written with fascinating drawings he breaks human anatomy and physiology into seven chapters: Building Life (cell structure), Air Traffic Control (respiration), Let's Eat (digestion), Who's in Charge Here (nervous system), Battle Stations (immune system), Moving On (skeletal and musculature), and Extending the Line (reproduction). Most of the 336 pages are covered wit...more
When I first pick up a book, I simultaneously take in several factors: look/design (is it pleasing, appropriate to subject?), table of contents (it should reflect what the whole of the book is about), index (IS THERE ONE, and how efficient is it). Then I look something up, either from the contents or the index.
In this book, I found that it is very pleasing to the eye, and the contents AND index are terrific. There's even a glossary.
I was also quite pleased to see that reproduction was given mor...more
In this book, I found that it is very pleasing to the eye, and the contents AND index are terrific. There's even a glossary.
I was also quite pleased to see that reproduction was given mor...more
Found this for a really good deal at the BYU Bookstore. I've been wanting it for a while because I have his other book "The (New) Way Things Work" and I enjoyed looking through that.
These books are interesting as it's hard to pick out exactly who the audience is for these books. The copious illustrations indicate a younger reader, but the text and content is definitely for someone around a middle-school level at least.
The illustrations for this book also seemed a little more rushed. That's under...more
These books are interesting as it's hard to pick out exactly who the audience is for these books. The copious illustrations indicate a younger reader, but the text and content is definitely for someone around a middle-school level at least.
The illustrations for this book also seemed a little more rushed. That's under...more
I found this in the children's section, but I think (comprehension-wise) it would take at least a middle-school-aged student to follow along. (Trust me on this one - there's a lot of terminology that would have thrown me off without my college courses in physiology, microbiology, neuroscience, etc.) That being said, I think it is a GREAT overall look, and I think the pictures are simpler than the text. This is definitely an accurate representation that doesn't oversimplify.
I can see why some of the libraries in our system put this in their adult collections. This thorough guide to human anatomy tells you how everything works, and the more child appropriate pencil drawings are actually more illustrative for non-doctors than photographs. An exquisitely drawn book throughout.
This book was awesome! It really tells you how our bodys work! I really enjoyed this book! It was really interesting to see how our bones move and learn all about how the things that help bones move!
WOW. I wish I had had this book when I was younger. I would have definitely memorized all of my bones, etc; if I had this exhaustive and richly illustrated book to guide me.
I really love this series....fun but informative. If only I had lots of money to buy copies for my room. :)
Nov 10, 2011
Sara Q
marked it as to-read
Recommended to Sara Q by:
OCLC
Shelves:
non-fiction,
visual
Mentioned in the OCLC report on holdings from the top 25 public libraries
ALA ALSC Notable 2009.
Great for the 8-14 kids who always ask "why"
Great for the 8-14 kids who always ask "why"
thought it was scary learning about us!
A Way Thing Work for the body.
Oct 12, 2008
Nicole
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who give attention to detail, those who already know and love D Mac
Shelves:
hbs-events,
nonfiction
I may not be popular for saying this, but David Maculay is just not my style. I appreciate the genius behind his books, but they are not ones I hold near and dear to my heart.
Not to be all SB about it, but I think I like the man more than his work. And so it should come as no surprise that I greatly enjoyed working his event. Daddy Mac likes to talk, no question about that, but his slides were interesting and I was okay with the almost hour long presentation.
I'm stoked for his upcoming Earth boo...more
Not to be all SB about it, but I think I like the man more than his work. And so it should come as no surprise that I greatly enjoyed working his event. Daddy Mac likes to talk, no question about that, but his slides were interesting and I was okay with the almost hour long presentation.
I'm stoked for his upcoming Earth boo...more
It is very interesting!
Fun way to learn about the human body; its parts, how it works, etc.
A fun way to learn basic anatomy!
Excellent drawings of the way our bodies work. I understand muscles, pathogens and eyesight so much better now (among other functions).
This is a great book for teaching kids to understanding the workings of the human body. The illustrations are top-notch. It's interesting to see artistic versions of what we normally see in computer images. Good explanations, too.
I love this book and wish I owned it. I'm such a geek.
The illustrations are fun, (most) of the explanations are approachable without being so watered down as to be worthless, and it's a fun experience. David Macauley is a god.
The illustrations are fun, (most) of the explanations are approachable without being so watered down as to be worthless, and it's a fun experience. David Macauley is a god.
I didn't actually read it all the way through, but it was a very cool book to look at and the parts I did read were great. Would make a good coffee table/ gift book.
Creative and informative book about the human body from artist extraordinare David Macaulay. I've only seen an excerpt so far, I can't wait to see the rest of the book.
Not as engaging as The Way Things Work but still informative.
I'm using this book to begin my studies on human antomy.
May 20, 2013
Caleb Kincaid
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2013
Sarah
marked it as to-read
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David Macaulay, born in 1946, was eleven when his parents moved from England to Bloomfield, New Jersey. He found himself having to adjust from an idyllic English childhood to life in a fast paced American city. During this time he began to draw seriously, and after graduating from high school he enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). After spending his fifth year at RISD in Rome on...more
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