The Mütter Museum: A Junior Guide's Tour of America's Coolest Medical Museum

by Anna Dhody, Ted Enik (Illustrations), R.A. Herrera (Illustrations)

Join A.J., the Mütter Museum's junior guide, on a tour of the world's best-known medical museum. A.J. will take you on a fun and educational adventure through the Mütter's amazing collection of unique medical specimens and objects. Accompanied by playful illustrations, this look at medical marvels and mysteries will enthrall and inform science lovers of all ages. A.J. has all of your questions covered; from the height of the Giant to the length of the Megacolon. Learn all about how the human body works (or doesn't!), and keep your eyes peeled for some of the museum's most famous see-through residents!

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, History

40 pages, Hardcover

Published July 28, 2020

Reviews

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and educational tour through Philadelphia’s famous Mutter Museum. Although interesting for all ages, I think this would be a good introduction for a child to read before going to the museum to reduce any fear. More importantly, the author reminds us repeatedly that these were real people, and not just aberrational specimens. That said, the art to me seemed ghostly and reminiscent of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 stars - I loved it!

This was an adorably delightful introduction to the Mutter Museum. It was extremely child friendly and made the journey of learning fun. AJ (the child tour guide) takes the reader on a journey through the Mutter’s most popular exhibits and gives you some brief history. I am not a child, no do I have children, but I thought this was wonderful and really enjoyed it.

The artwork was beautiful and I loved the ghosts of the people exhibited following AJ along his tour. I also thought it was great that actual photos of the exhibits were included at the end because this gives children a chance to actually see what these items look like, not just a drawing of it. Also, as someone who hasn’t been to the Mutter yet, but really wants to go, this was a fun introduction to the museum.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter used to live just a block or so from the museum, but she never visited it until we were in town, right before she moved away after two years in Philly. She wished she had visited earlier! This book starts with a great introduction that explains the purpose of the museum and the book.
Although this is supposedly a guide book from a student, I was a little disappointed when the Mutter's donations were described as "teaching stuff" and "a bunch of money." I understand why this informality runs through the book, though.
I was glad that there were several photographs included, because some of the illustrations were a bit like whirlwinds. Even then, there is even more to the museum.

[Martha Trzepacz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow ! What a book. As curator and author says in the beginning, this museum is not for everyone. However, the carefully selected subject matter and whimsical art work makes this book a hit. While the technical medical explanations maybe lost on some, the topic will stir children’s curiosity. This book should be enough for the younger readers. For the adults and interested teens, the last section gives updated information on some of the exhibits. Hats off to the author and the incredible illustrations.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful, child friendly, introduction to one of my favorite museums in the world! My seven year old daughter absolutely loves reading it. She actually brought up fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva on our morning walk today and is already telling me about what she plans to see first when she finally gets to go to the museum in person!

[Jo]

This is pretty lengthy/busy for a picture book - also sometimes gross. But I found it fascinating overall and had to share some of the stories/exhibits with family members. I’d definitely like to visit Mütter Museum someday.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introduction to the museum that's not for everyone. Def on my bucket list. A collection of medical oddities, rarities, and cool specimens.

[Norkett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite fascinating and presented in a fun way by a young guide!

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

super interesting

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A children's book about one of my favorite museums! What's not to love??

[skcocnaH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about this book. It was well written and fun! Now my 6 year old wants to go visit the museum.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Photos included.

[Kayla Zabcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

80%

I've never been to the Mutter Museum, but I'd really like to someday, so this was a fun introduction to it. I particularly liked that photographs of the specimens were included at the end. I did feel like maybe this book wasn't sure who its audience was: the picture-book format indicates 1st grade and below, but the written content seemed to be aimed for higher reading levels. It's not really an issue, but it did stick out to me as odd.