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Wow in the World #2
Wow In The World: The How And Wow Of The Human Body Signed Edition: From Your Tongue to Your Toes and All the Guts in Between
Based on their #1 kids podcast, Wow in the World, hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz take readers on a hilarious, fact-filled, and highly illustrated journey through the human body—covering everything from our toes to our tongues to our brains and our lungs!
WHY in the world do I have a belly button?
And WHAT in the world does it do?
WHEN in the world will my nose stop growing?
And HOW in the world does my pee keep flowing?
The human body is a fascinating piece of machinery. It's full of mystery, and wonder, and WOW. And it turns out, every single human on the planet has one! Join Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, hosts of the mega-popular Wow in the World podcast, as they take you on a fact-filled adventure from your toes and your tongues to your brain and your lungs.
Featuring hilarious illustrations and filled with facts, jokes, photos, quizzes, and Wow-To experiments, The How and Wow of the Human Body has everything you need to better understand your own walking, talking, barfing, breathing, pooping body of WOW!
WHY in the world do I have a belly button?
And WHAT in the world does it do?
WHEN in the world will my nose stop growing?
And HOW in the world does my pee keep flowing?
The human body is a fascinating piece of machinery. It's full of mystery, and wonder, and WOW. And it turns out, every single human on the planet has one! Join Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, hosts of the mega-popular Wow in the World podcast, as they take you on a fact-filled adventure from your toes and your tongues to your brain and your lungs.
Featuring hilarious illustrations and filled with facts, jokes, photos, quizzes, and Wow-To experiments, The How and Wow of the Human Body has everything you need to better understand your own walking, talking, barfing, breathing, pooping body of WOW!
160 pages, Hardcover
First published March 2, 2021
74 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 2, 2021
This is a book that I'm likely to buy for our homeschool library since it's just so fun and informative. Even I learned a bunch of things, and I'm pretty well read when it comes to biology. It's a very fun, colorful, fact-filled book that will keep kids' attention. They can read it in any order and just look at a page or two at a time if they like. It's filled with lots of gross stuff that kids are likely to enjoy, but also lots of plain educational stuff in small bits that are easy to digest. Human reproduction is covered but just barely (this is not a sex ed book) and things like genitals are not mentioned. Just about every other part of the body is covered other than more advanced topics like hormones, DNA, etc. Issues like puberty, acne, body odor, gas and poop are covered extensively. Kids are likely to learn a lot and have fun doing it.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.
December 8, 2020
This book was received as an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group - HMH Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
I absolutely love this book! I thought I read it all when reading and viewing so many human body books but this one has a hysterical approach that speaks every child language and the icing on the cake is the brilliantly executed illustrations. I also love the explanations presented throughout the book which is simple enough for children to understand. Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz did an amazing job putting together a book that every household, classroom, and library should have. A humorous approach to such a difficult topic.
We will consider adding this title to our JNonFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
I absolutely love this book! I thought I read it all when reading and viewing so many human body books but this one has a hysterical approach that speaks every child language and the icing on the cake is the brilliantly executed illustrations. I also love the explanations presented throughout the book which is simple enough for children to understand. Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz did an amazing job putting together a book that every household, classroom, and library should have. A humorous approach to such a difficult topic.
We will consider adding this title to our JNonFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
May 6, 2021
I love children’s nonfiction books that present their information in a fun and fresh way. These are the books that I know will inspire kids to learn about something new. It might be the design of the book, that breaks the information in to small chunks, or the format in which the authors present the information. Wow in the World: the how and wow of the human body, by podcast hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, is one of these great nonfiction books. It is sure to teach kids heaps of interesting facts about the human body and have them laughing out loud while they read.
My eyes were drawn towards this book in my local bookshop, with its bright yellow cover, the title exploding off the front and the cartoon images of the authors. As soon as I picked it up and flicked through it, I knew I needed it for my school library. It’s the most visually appealing book about the human body that I’ve seen and it looks funny. This makes it a great book for dipping in to as you could just pick a section that you’re interested in. I started reading from the start and just kept on reading, because it’s so interesting and entertaining.
Like all human body books, this one is split in to different sections. There’s a welcome to your body section, where Mindy and Guy tell you the different ways you could experience this book (read it out of order and share interesting facts with your friends and family) and things you shouldn’t do with this book (barf over it when you read the gross parts). We then go on a tour of the human body, including the stuff on the outside (like hair, skin and nails) and the stuff on the inside (like the skeleton, heart and digestive system). Each section is jam-packed with info about how each part works and why it’s important. That is accompanied by Jack Teagle’s diagrams, comics and other visual gags that will make you chuckle. There are also heaps of Fact Snacks, quizzes and Bonus Body sections. The Fact Snacks are quick facts that are easy to remember and share with your friends and family.
This is one of the coolest children’s nonfiction books ever! I love that it is so visual, because this makes it both super fun and very re-readable. There are lots of comics throughout the book, like the Body Parts Awards and Muscle Mania, which will make this book appealing to those kids who love comics and graphic novels. The Bonus Body sections are hilarious! They tell you about the body parts you (probably) don’t need and all about your butt. There’s a good glossary and index at the back of the book, along with a bibliography, and books and websites for recommended reading. The book is based on a podcast by the authors, so there are also QR codes linking to each episode of Wow in the World.
Wow in the World: the how and wow of the human body is a must-have for all primary and intermediate school libraries and would make a great gift for inquisitive 8-12 year olds.
My eyes were drawn towards this book in my local bookshop, with its bright yellow cover, the title exploding off the front and the cartoon images of the authors. As soon as I picked it up and flicked through it, I knew I needed it for my school library. It’s the most visually appealing book about the human body that I’ve seen and it looks funny. This makes it a great book for dipping in to as you could just pick a section that you’re interested in. I started reading from the start and just kept on reading, because it’s so interesting and entertaining.
Like all human body books, this one is split in to different sections. There’s a welcome to your body section, where Mindy and Guy tell you the different ways you could experience this book (read it out of order and share interesting facts with your friends and family) and things you shouldn’t do with this book (barf over it when you read the gross parts). We then go on a tour of the human body, including the stuff on the outside (like hair, skin and nails) and the stuff on the inside (like the skeleton, heart and digestive system). Each section is jam-packed with info about how each part works and why it’s important. That is accompanied by Jack Teagle’s diagrams, comics and other visual gags that will make you chuckle. There are also heaps of Fact Snacks, quizzes and Bonus Body sections. The Fact Snacks are quick facts that are easy to remember and share with your friends and family.
This is one of the coolest children’s nonfiction books ever! I love that it is so visual, because this makes it both super fun and very re-readable. There are lots of comics throughout the book, like the Body Parts Awards and Muscle Mania, which will make this book appealing to those kids who love comics and graphic novels. The Bonus Body sections are hilarious! They tell you about the body parts you (probably) don’t need and all about your butt. There’s a good glossary and index at the back of the book, along with a bibliography, and books and websites for recommended reading. The book is based on a podcast by the authors, so there are also QR codes linking to each episode of Wow in the World.
Wow in the World: the how and wow of the human body is a must-have for all primary and intermediate school libraries and would make a great gift for inquisitive 8-12 year olds.
March 20, 2021
If you are a fan of the podcast series then this book is a must! Just like the podcast this book is filled with interesting fun facts and humour from the hosts with the most Guy Raz, Mindy and Reggie.
Every part of the body inside and outside is covered off; from the hair on your head to the nails on your toes including bodily functions (gas, sweat and poop). There is even a good (but not super in depth if you are concerned) section about reproduction and puberty.
Also I may have read the entire book with the voices of the hosts in my head.
Highly recommended for kids (and parents not going to lie this adult learned some new things. Like the origin of the word muscle!) who love science, or want to learn more about how the body works.
Every part of the body inside and outside is covered off; from the hair on your head to the nails on your toes including bodily functions (gas, sweat and poop). There is even a good (but not super in depth if you are concerned) section about reproduction and puberty.
Also I may have read the entire book with the voices of the hosts in my head.
Highly recommended for kids (and parents not going to lie this adult learned some new things. Like the origin of the word muscle!) who love science, or want to learn more about how the body works.
October 22, 2021
Are you ready to travel through your body and find out all about every part of it? Then you will love this book!
I have had my eyes on this book for well several months. Sadly, Amazon either didn’t have it in stock or it was just way too expensive (20+ euro). But finally it came out and in a perfect price!
This book was terrific fun and reminded me 100% of those silly Horrible Science (and other books in the Horrible series) books that I have loved for many years. It has that same funny way of telling kids (and well adults) about science, about your body, about what makes it tick. It doesn’t shy away from gruesomeness and will really tell you EVERYTHING even the things you may not want to know. XD I flew through this book, sadly it took me a bit longer as I just had to sleep.
The book is separated in categories, from head to toes. From bones to nerves. I really loved that this was done and that this way you could also just go to the section you liked the most. Though I just read the book cover from cover as I didn’t have one specific section I wanted to see, I just wanted it all. We learn all about the body in this one, from what the eyes do and we meet every part of the eye in a fun introduction to what your brain is all about and how your left brain does right stuff and your right brain does left stuff. About lungs and bones. We also get a part on puberty. Not entirely what I expected but still a nice addition. The way it was written was tons of fun. We don’t just get facts, we get comics, interviews, silly introductions, and more. It just keeps you interested and makes you want to know more.
The illustrations (so many of them) were terrific fun and made the book even more fun and interesting to read. Plus, they made me laugh way too many times. XD
All in all, I hope that this duo makes more books like this because I am a fan! Highly recommended to all, kids and adults. I am sure this book will be loved by many!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I have had my eyes on this book for well several months. Sadly, Amazon either didn’t have it in stock or it was just way too expensive (20+ euro). But finally it came out and in a perfect price!
This book was terrific fun and reminded me 100% of those silly Horrible Science (and other books in the Horrible series) books that I have loved for many years. It has that same funny way of telling kids (and well adults) about science, about your body, about what makes it tick. It doesn’t shy away from gruesomeness and will really tell you EVERYTHING even the things you may not want to know. XD I flew through this book, sadly it took me a bit longer as I just had to sleep.
The book is separated in categories, from head to toes. From bones to nerves. I really loved that this was done and that this way you could also just go to the section you liked the most. Though I just read the book cover from cover as I didn’t have one specific section I wanted to see, I just wanted it all. We learn all about the body in this one, from what the eyes do and we meet every part of the eye in a fun introduction to what your brain is all about and how your left brain does right stuff and your right brain does left stuff. About lungs and bones. We also get a part on puberty. Not entirely what I expected but still a nice addition. The way it was written was tons of fun. We don’t just get facts, we get comics, interviews, silly introductions, and more. It just keeps you interested and makes you want to know more.
The illustrations (so many of them) were terrific fun and made the book even more fun and interesting to read. Plus, they made me laugh way too many times. XD
All in all, I hope that this duo makes more books like this because I am a fan! Highly recommended to all, kids and adults. I am sure this book will be loved by many!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
May 2, 2021
I got this book for my son, but I found myself picking it up and learning some amazing facts about the human body. It's a funny and interesting book for a child interested in science, but I also think it's a good tool to get any kid interested in biology. For the adult, it's a gentle reminder that the human body is a complex and intricate machine. I wish that I had a book like this as a kid, but I'm glad I can watch my son laugh at all of the humorous sections. The sections on farts is his personal favorite.
April 11, 2021
Wow in the World is one of those precious gifts to families – a podcast that’s legitimately kid-friendly and interesting for children and adults alike. Lively US-based hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz (How I Built This) are upbeat, intelligent presenters who join forces with guests from the spectrum of scientific research to make technology, biology and the natural world in general fascinating and fun. And now…a book!
WHY in the world do I have a belly button?
And WHAT in the world does it do?
WHEN in the world will my nose stop growing?
And HOW in the world does my pee keep flowing?
‘The How and Wow of the Human Body, from your tongue to your toes and all the guts in between’ – with such an epic title, it probably doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation. This is a brightly illustrated unpacking of the human body, covering everything from fine details to fun facts. There is plenty of humour and a good dose of ‘gross out’, but the fundamental science is well researched, and a deft mix of informal language and scientific terminology makes it a terrific learning journey in both knowledge and literacy terms.
Some things my 9 yo found compelling:
Your iris is a muscle
There are 250 hairs in an eyebrow
The real name for your butt crack is ‘intergluteal cleft’
We spent A LOT of time on the ‘eyes’ section. (Did you know the word ‘pupil’ means ‘little person’?) We also enjoyed a section on ‘human body hacks’ including tricks for using your hands as a calculator and stopping brain freeze.
This books works as a cover-to-cover or a dip-in-and-out read and will complement the podcast beautifully if your young people like some audio entertainment. In fact, there are QR codes at the back of the book to take you straight to some related podcasts – brilliant idea!
How and Wow also includes an extensive reference list, glossary, photo credits, and a detailed index, making it much more useful for reference purposes than some other ‘fun fact’ titles. Your pupils will love it!
This review was also published at charminglanguage.com. With thanks to Macmillan Au for my review copy!
WHY in the world do I have a belly button?
And WHAT in the world does it do?
WHEN in the world will my nose stop growing?
And HOW in the world does my pee keep flowing?
‘The How and Wow of the Human Body, from your tongue to your toes and all the guts in between’ – with such an epic title, it probably doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation. This is a brightly illustrated unpacking of the human body, covering everything from fine details to fun facts. There is plenty of humour and a good dose of ‘gross out’, but the fundamental science is well researched, and a deft mix of informal language and scientific terminology makes it a terrific learning journey in both knowledge and literacy terms.
Some things my 9 yo found compelling:
Your iris is a muscle
There are 250 hairs in an eyebrow
The real name for your butt crack is ‘intergluteal cleft’
We spent A LOT of time on the ‘eyes’ section. (Did you know the word ‘pupil’ means ‘little person’?) We also enjoyed a section on ‘human body hacks’ including tricks for using your hands as a calculator and stopping brain freeze.
This books works as a cover-to-cover or a dip-in-and-out read and will complement the podcast beautifully if your young people like some audio entertainment. In fact, there are QR codes at the back of the book to take you straight to some related podcasts – brilliant idea!
How and Wow also includes an extensive reference list, glossary, photo credits, and a detailed index, making it much more useful for reference purposes than some other ‘fun fact’ titles. Your pupils will love it!
This review was also published at charminglanguage.com. With thanks to Macmillan Au for my review copy!
April 19, 2021
This book explains body parts in a funny way! It also has hilarious comics such as: (Spoiler alert, don't read the following unless you have read this book!)
"Good news! I've decided to get a tail!"
"I'm not sure that's a thing you can do."
"Sure I can! Our ancestors had tails. Why can't I?"
"Well, for one, once we humans evolved to walk on two feet, we stopped needing tails for balance."
"Oh yeah, I don't need it for balance. Just for decoration."
"Also our ancestors didn't wear pants."
"On second thought, maybe I can live without a tail."
And also...
"Tell me, my dear, what's in your heart?"
"Okay, so there are two small spaces called atria on the top left and right..."
"Oh, that's not exactly what I-"
"And underneath the atria, there is a lower space called a ventricle..."
"No, what I mean is, what makes your heart skip a beat?"
"Oh, blood. Lots and lots of blood! Like a whole cup of blood about seventy times a minute."
"Okay, that's-"
"And the blood is pumping from the atria to the ventricles and then out of my heart to my lungs and the rest of my body. Does that answer your question?"
"NO!"
Hilarious.
"Good news! I've decided to get a tail!"
"I'm not sure that's a thing you can do."
"Sure I can! Our ancestors had tails. Why can't I?"
"Well, for one, once we humans evolved to walk on two feet, we stopped needing tails for balance."
"Oh yeah, I don't need it for balance. Just for decoration."
"Also our ancestors didn't wear pants."
"On second thought, maybe I can live without a tail."
And also...
"Tell me, my dear, what's in your heart?"
"Okay, so there are two small spaces called atria on the top left and right..."
"Oh, that's not exactly what I-"
"And underneath the atria, there is a lower space called a ventricle..."
"No, what I mean is, what makes your heart skip a beat?"
"Oh, blood. Lots and lots of blood! Like a whole cup of blood about seventy times a minute."
"Okay, that's-"
"And the blood is pumping from the atria to the ventricles and then out of my heart to my lungs and the rest of my body. Does that answer your question?"
"NO!"
Hilarious.
April 28, 2021
Things I now know because of this book:
-Girls and boys fart about the same amount. Men fart more than women, but women's farts smell worse.
-Your butt is the strongest muscle in your body.
-You make about a quart of snot each day, and swallow most of it.
-Scientists don't really know why asparagus makes our pee smell bad. But it does make EVERYONE'S pee smell bad, it's just that genetically some people can smell it and some can't.
And there's so, so much more. I'm going to be such a delight at parties (if parties ever happen again) for a while! (I already regaled my work with all of these facts at our stand up meeting today.)
This is the kind of nonfiction that will really hook in lots and lots of kids--kids who like a little grossness mixed in with their facts. I'm very excited to talk it up on school visits this year.
-Girls and boys fart about the same amount. Men fart more than women, but women's farts smell worse.
-Your butt is the strongest muscle in your body.
-You make about a quart of snot each day, and swallow most of it.
-Scientists don't really know why asparagus makes our pee smell bad. But it does make EVERYONE'S pee smell bad, it's just that genetically some people can smell it and some can't.
And there's so, so much more. I'm going to be such a delight at parties (if parties ever happen again) for a while! (I already regaled my work with all of these facts at our stand up meeting today.)
This is the kind of nonfiction that will really hook in lots and lots of kids--kids who like a little grossness mixed in with their facts. I'm very excited to talk it up on school visits this year.
March 10, 2021
Graphic Non-Fiction
I received an electronic ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group through NetGalley.
Thomas and Raz offer a detailed look at human bodies in a format easy to follow for middle grade readers (and older ones as well). They share information about all of our body systems and offer additional facts for more research. The book addresses all aspects of how a body works in a straightforward manner. To balance that, the illustrations show a cartoon approach and the dialogue adds the right amount of humor. The narrators offer information and fun facts that will connect with readers.
A great resource for families to trigger discussion and answer questions on various body activities.
I received an electronic ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group through NetGalley.
Thomas and Raz offer a detailed look at human bodies in a format easy to follow for middle grade readers (and older ones as well). They share information about all of our body systems and offer additional facts for more research. The book addresses all aspects of how a body works in a straightforward manner. To balance that, the illustrations show a cartoon approach and the dialogue adds the right amount of humor. The narrators offer information and fun facts that will connect with readers.
A great resource for families to trigger discussion and answer questions on various body activities.
March 8, 2021
This is really cute and informative, and I really liked the art style of it. I think it's definitely one we'll want to explore in depth together in our homeschool, and my daughter seemed to enjoy it as much as she enjoys the podcast! There's quite a few facts for each area of the body being discussed, but not huge blocks of text with too much going on for the elementary set. The reproduction chapter is not as in depth as I was expecting based off other reviews, it only mentions that the two types of reproductive cells need to meet to create an embryo on it's way to becoming a baby, which is definitely in line with what my 2nd grader already knows.
February 23, 2021
A heavily illustrated, hilarious, and informative tour of the human body from the team that celebrates the wonders of our natural world. Visually engaging with fact-filled content that should hold high appeal for young readers. Pop-out sections and short chapters lend to its approachable format -- kids could skip around read it based on interest and not necessarily in order as it is written. Hefty backmatter will please librarians and educators. This is definitely a book that will fly out of bins and get passed kid to kid!
April 14, 2021
Informative, funny, irreverent, this is a great book for kids of all ages (my wife and I are 69 and really enjoyed the review of human anatomy, but it's "safe" for kids from six up (safe = reproductive system is somewhat sketchily described in a PG sort of way) and goes through some of the changes of puberty (growing lumps and bumps and pimples and hair where it didn't used to be). Uses ordinary terms like pee and poop, but gives anatomical terms as well (like gluteus maximus).
March 23, 2023
More wordy than Wow in the World: What in the Wow?!: 250 Bonkerballs Facts, but an entertaining, informative and fast read. And yes, they were right, some of it was gross! But there were a couple of 'woke' comments that were out of place in a fact-based book.
May 3, 2021
Cute little YA book. I heard the authors on NPR and thought it would be a good refresher on basic biology. I’m sure kids would love this book as it talks a lot about boogers, poop, and farts, LOL.
Note to authors: Even though we call it CU, it’s the University of Colorado, not Colorado University.
Note to authors: Even though we call it CU, it’s the University of Colorado, not Colorado University.
April 20, 2023
This was an excellent extension to our anatomy studies, my son absolutely loved and laughed out loud many times. If you are looking for a book that gives details on puberty and reproduction, this isn't the book for you, but if you would like a book that very easily glides over those topics, this is the book you want.
December 30, 2024
This book told me a lot about our body parts. It was kinda gross when I read these facts but then still, I had a moment of joy going like “So DIGUSTING but so INTERESTING” It taught me that if any part of eye such like the cornea or pupil or ANY PART was gone, then you would be not be able to see. It taught me a lot of things that I forgot SO much LOL.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2025
The actual facts about the human body were interesting and presented in a fun and funny manner and in a way that engages kids (and an adult who loves to read kids’ science lit haha). Buuuut my main complaint was the woke agenda that they had to throw in because everybody has to throw in a woke agenda somewhere, even in a kids’ science book.
February 7, 2021
This is the perfect combination of weird and factual about the human body and how it works. Elementary-aged kids will absolutely love this informational book! Fun, cartoony illustrations make it visually appealing, too.
December 1, 2022
This is one book that I will be adding to our homeschool library.
The author shares information about the human body in a fun and informative way. The illustrations were fun, and my family laughed at every page.
The author shares information about the human body in a fun and informative way. The illustrations were fun, and my family laughed at every page.
Want to Read
March 2, 2021Gift for kids in elementary school
April 11, 2021
Lots of facts and fun graphics about the human body from top to bottom. My elementary students will undoubtedly focus on the sections about pee, butts and farts.
February 25, 2023
Informative and even a fun read for adults!
April 25, 2023
I liked the immune system section. And I like the muscles section. (By my 8year old son!)
June 14, 2024
Great book.
September 9, 2024
I like this book and I have to whole collection. If you want more, it's a podcast too.
Want to Read
April 8, 2021Note: I accessed digital review copies of this book through NetGalley and Edelweiss.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews