Cells: An Owner’s Handbook

Volume XXVI / Issue 15 - December 13 / 2019
Cells
Cells
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Cells: An Owner’s Handbook

Author: 
Carolyn Fisher
New York, NY: Beach Lane Books (Distributed in Canada by Simon & Schuster Canada), 2019
48 pp., hc. & ebook, $23.99 (hc.), $10.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 
9781534451858 (hc.)
9781534451827 (ebook)
Grades: 
Grades 3-6
Ages: 
Ages 8-11
Review by: 
Gillian Richardson
4
Excerpt: 

If you looked at some of your cells through a microscope, you might see this [skin cells, magnified 1,500 times] or this [nerve cells, magnified 500 times]...or these! [red blood cells, magnified 2,929 times; muscle cells, magnified 1,200 times; bone cells, magnified 210 times; ovum cell, magnified 200 times; sperm cell, magnified 200 times]. Different kinds of cells have different shapes and sizes to help them do different jobs like: making bones, making blood, making muscles, making babies!

Zoom in closer and one of your cells might look like this [cell with labelled parts]. Inside the cell, you’ll find smaller parts called organelles (or-gan-ELZ). Each organelle is a mini factory that does a special job.

Your tour guide on this lively romp through the basic facts about cells is a skin cell called Ellie, found on the hind end of a dog. Through Ellie’s youthful voice, cells are demystified in an entertaining overview, with informative text layered over bold graphics in a fast-paced, page- turning format. What are cells, where are they found, what do they look like, what do they do and how do they operate? These questions are answered in both brief text and full-page illustrations, and a fact page and resources list are added at the end.

Humor and up-to-date language choices (It’s a cellfie, I mean a SELFIE...) give the writing kid-appeal. Simple definitions and pronunciation keys assist comprehension where appropriate. The bright, often detailed representations of cells catch one’s attention to help readers imagine how an actual magnified cell might appear. They’ll remember the snappy style and dramatic visuals.

Cells: An Owner’s Handbook is a good starting point for understanding cytology and a fun way to arouse curiosity among budding scientists.

Highly Recommended
Reviewer: 

Gillian Richardson is a freelance writer living in British Columbia.

Subject Headings: 
Cells-Juvenile literature