Blog Tour: Bodies, Brains and Bogies – Paul Ian Cross

Steph Warren - Bookshine

Sep 2

*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel's Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Blurb: This fantastic title from Paul Ian Cross, the writer of How to Vanquish a Virus, takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of everything that's disgusting, unusual and amazing about the human body. Find out everything about poo, pus and bogies, while learning a whole lot about how our bodies work hard in hundreds of fascinating ways to keep us alive.

With tons of hilarious and informative illustrations, it includes lashings of Paul Ian Cross's trademark laugh-out-loud humour, in-depth knowledge and infectious optimism. It's the perfect funny, accessible way to discover everything you've ever wanted to know about the human body, but were too grossed-out to ask!

Just so you know, I've had to read this book and write this review while desperately trying to avoid looking at the cover or promo pictures, as I have a terrible aversion to the sight of snot and bogies...even cartoon ones. My kids, on the other hand, think this is the best book cover they have ever seen and glory in the grossness!

I will admit though, that it is definitely worth the sacrifice of my squeamishness, as this is the best book I have come across for teaching facts about the human body to children in a fun and memorable way.

It does for human biology what the Horrible History books did for, well, history when I was younger.

Packed with fascinating, weird and gross facts, the book still manages to include so much detail about everything from the correct names for various bones and muscles to how the senses work. The level of information should be enough to satisfy any young, budding pre-pre-med, and yet it is presented in bitesize, entertaining chunks that keep young lay-readers engaged. And the pictures are pretty funny too!

Here's what my two enquiring minds thought of it:

Babybows (6): Gross and yucky!

[These are very high compliments from him.]

Minishine (9): I think it's a good book for learning and it's also kind of gross but kind of interesting.

Babybows: The grossometer is good. It was weird how we didn't always agree with it, or each other, on how gross things were because I thought some things were okay that the book said were gross and Minishine thought lots of things were gross that I didn't. I can deal with it!

Minishine: *shudders* Yes, I did NOT like the dead skin cells for your hair and in the dust, or the bugs on your skin and eyelashes. *brightens* But I laughed loads at the zombie bits!

Babybows: I don't think all of it is true because there is no such thing as zombies. And I don't believe there are bugs on my eyelashes either because I would feel them tickling...

[I'm not telling him after the fuss Minishine made about that - it can wait until he's older!]

Minishine: I like the silly facts and the tricky quiz questions the best.

Babybows: I like the poo and farts and zombies and snot and bogies. I didn't get a single question right, but I will do next time...!

This is definitely a keeper and would be an ideal resource for schools and libraries as well as a brilliant at-home resource. We read a bit at bedtime stories each night, but competent readers could have at it independently. Even Mr Shine joined in and was very keen on the humour and illustrations, and thoroughly enjoyed watching us all fail the quiz questions.

Definitely recommend this one to parents looking to increase their children's knowledge and non-fiction bookshelves and for any children interested in how the body works in all its gross and gory details!

About the author

Paul Ian Cross, PhD, is a scientist, researcher, writer, and educator from London, UK.

Paul works in clinical research (developing new medicines) and he's also a science communicator (presenting science to non-scientists). Paul specialises in vaccine development and has an interest in pharmacovigilance (the safety of medicinal products). His PhD research investigated the benefit-risk assessment of medicines, and how patients and the public can be more involved in their treatment decisions.

Paul's popular social media accounts (@DrPaulScience) are full of STEM-themed content for all ages, but particularly for parents and adults to share with the children in their lives. Paul is a member of #TeamHalo, a UN backed initiative where doctors, healthcare workers, and scientists share accurate information about healthcare, science, and the COVID-19 vaccines. In 2021, Paul was named as a 'Luminary' at the G7's Vaccine Confidence Summit, in recognition for his science communication work on social media.

In addition to his research career, Paul has a passion for introducing children to STEM subjects, particularly reluctant readers. By introducing science creatively, he aims to spark their interest, allowing them to gain confidence with their reading. As a previous reluctant reader himself, he understands how hard it can be. But it's all about making reading fun and interesting!