DIGESTION! THE MUSICAL
By: Adam Rex
Illustrated by: Laura Park
Published: October 25, 2022
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Parents might remember the fun and entertaining teacher, Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School House series of books. She made learning fun and this book takes learning about the process of digestion and turns it into a production. Even though this is a picture book, I feel like it is for a bit on the older end of picture book readers due to the material and length of the story. I feel like first through third graders would be able to grasp the message of the book.
Kids will be attracted to the “bright lights” and theatre feel right away. There is rhyming throughout as well as opportunities for singing and shouting. With baby carrots as the chorus and a piece of candy as the featured role, kids will learn the intricacies of how our food is digested.
The illustrations are vivid and show accurate depictions of our internal organs, using proper names and illustrations of the process of chewing and digesting a piece of candy. Of course, since there is candy coming down the pipeline, some of the organs are appalled and don’t want to accept this foreign object because it offers no benefits to the body. This offers an opportunity for a great conversation with your kids about the difference between food that feeds our bodies and food that is for once in while.
“The food that’s done digestin gets absorbed from the intestine.
Then it takes what we don’t need down the kidneys to be peed.”
Of course, when you are talking about digestion, you have to talk about going to the bathroom. There is a big “show stopper” at the end with a trip to the potty which will have kids giggling, for sure! The end of the book includes a glossary of terms used in the book including organs and parts of the body critical to digestion like plasma, esophagus, and duodenum.
Adam Rex is the author and illustrator of many beloved picture books and novels, including The True Meaning of Smekday (which was made into the major motion picture Home) and the New York Times bestseller Frankenstein Makes A Sandwich. He has also illustrated the work of many other authors, including Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett, Jeff Kinney, Kate DiCamillo, Eoin Colfer, Christopher Paul Curtis, Paul Feig, and Neil Gaiman. He lives in Tucson, Arizona. See more about him, HERE.
Laura Park is a cartoonist and the illustrator of two New York Times–bestselling series, Middle School and I Funny; the picture books Abner & Ian Get Right-Side Up and Unstoppable; and many other books for young people. She is an American living in France. Learn more, HERE.
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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to make a purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
Posted Under Adam Rex, Book Review, Children's books, human body, Laura Park, science, STEM