All About the Heart

by Remi Kowalski, Tonia Composto (Illustrator)

Overview

Does your heart really stop when you sneeze? Can it break? How does our heart compare to the heart of other creatures? Curious kids will find the answers to these questions and more in All About the Heart by leading pediatric cardiologist Dr Remi Kowalski. 

The first book in a nonfiction series Berbay is launching, authored my pediatric medical experts in their fields. Presented in a kid-friendly, exciting way, these illustrated books – which can be read cover to cover – are designed to help kids better understand the way their bodies work and appreciate how incredible they are. 

"A superb way to showcase the circulatory system, All About the Heart will be enjoyed by curious children." Books + Publishing 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781922610607
Publisher:	Berbay Publishing
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Series:	All About the Body
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.07(w) x 11.41(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dr. Remi Kowalski is a pediatric cardiologist with 15 years of experience who practices at the Royal Children’s Hospital. He trained at the University of Melbourne, as well as the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, and at the AMC Hospital in Amsterdam as part of his PhD. He lives in Melbourne with his partner, two primary school aged children and two cats. Although he has written plenty of academic articles, this is his first children’s book.

Tonia Composto is a Melbourne-based illustrator and graphic designer and the creator of GoGo Zine, a mini mag for kids.

Editorial Reviews

2023-09-09
A basic introduction to hearts and what they do, written by a pediatric cardiologist.

Though schematic diagrams label major valves and vessels, Composto’s stylized, distractingly busy illustrations generally offer more hindrance than help for Kowalski’s simple descriptions of hearts in various types of animals and how our human one functions. Still, for readers not put off by all the garish colors, misshapen figures in odd poses, and space-filling sprays of dots, stars, and confetti in the art, Kowalski presents a reasonably lucid picture of the organ’s anatomy, blended with insights into its behavior. No, our hearts don’t stop when we sneeze, nor do they actually break…but they do beat at different rates (“children’s hearts are best at pumping very fast to help with exercise, and athletes’ hearts are best at pumping more powerfully" than others'). They sometimes need medical help and, at the ends of our lives, stop working, “just like the other parts of our body.” So “take care of yours,” he writes. “It’s working really hard for you. And next time you give someone a hug, remember that you are really touching hearts with them.” Human figures are depicted in a range of hues, natural and otherwise.

Visuals distract rather than enhance, but overall, this is a sensitive and, fitfully, specific exploration. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews