Smart Books about the Brain
When gathering books for last week’s post on books about the body I found lots of books about the brain. So many, in fact, I thought I should do a post just on brain books. The books are listed loosely in the order of difficulty.
Understanding the brain and how it works is not easy. However, this book manages to simplify what we know about the brain and make it clear and understandable for early elementary students.
This book has clear text and illustrations. It covers the nervous system, plus the parts of the brain and what they control. There are several activities to try.
My Brain: An Exciting Way to Learn about Your Body! by Sally Hewitt (sorry, no link)
After a brief description of the brain, this book goes on the describe many of its jobs, including the senses, memory, learning, and feelings. The illustrations show kids doing all sorts of things their brains are telling them to do. There are also activities to try.
As always, this Seymour Simon book tells just the right amount of information in the clearest possible way. The photos of actual brains and the photos taken by microscopes are amazing. Written at about a sixth grade reading level, this would make a great read aloud for younger kids (grades 3 and up).
It’s All in Your Head: A Guide to Your Brilliant Brain by Sylvia Funston and Jay Ingram, illustrated by Gary Clement
This book explains how the brain controls our senses, emotions, memory, and thinking. Each chapter includes experiments (interesting!), with easy-to-find items. History and current theories on how the brain works is also included.
This book is full of games and activities to show how the brain, nerves, and senses work. The activities (experiments, puzzles, and quizzes) test reflexes and challenge mental skills. I found some of them to be pretty tricky.
How to be a Genius: Your Brain and How to Train It by John Woodward, illustrated by Serge Seidlitz and Andy Smith
This is a big book! The 8 chapters cover topics such as memory, the five senses, creativity tricks and illusions, and how the brain grows and changes. You can read this book cover-to-cover or skip around and read the pages that catch your attention. Warning—lots of stuff will probably catch your attention!
I have to admit, reading the books in this post makes me feel smarter!