Thursday, March 10, 2011

Book Review: Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

This book’s full name is Your Fantastic Elastic Brain: Stretch It, Shape It. It’s written by JoAnn Deak, Ph.D., and illustrated by Sarah Ackerley.

First off, the illustrations are wonderful. Children of all color are included, as are a little mouse and owl who help guide us along on the journey into the brain. The colors and illustrations are gorgeous, including the ones of the brain. And for parents who read the book to their kids, the big words are sounded out, for example: Cerebellum (SAIR-uh-bel-uhm) - great for those of us who may have forgotten.

Second off (is there such a thing as “second off”?), the writer knows the subject. Jo Ann Deak, Ph.D., is an educator and preventive psychologist. She takes the reader through important information about the brain: Is it an organ or a muscle? What are the different parts of the brain? What does each part do? How can you improve your brain? Is there a point at which you can no longer improve your brain?

Speaking for myself (certainly not any of you whom I’m sure remember all of your science and biology classes), this is a book for adults, as well as kids.

To top off the great points about Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, this book was printed on TerraSkin®, “a revolutionary new paper made from stone, infinitely recyclable and degradable, it requires no water, no bleach, and uses 50% less energy and 20-30%less ink than traditional paper…” Not only can you teach your child, grandchild, nephew or niece, about the brain, you can teach them about taking care of the environment.

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain
Amazon
Little Pickle Press

I love this book from Little Pickle Press - and my kids are grown and I have no grandkids! I give Your Fantastic Elastic Brain a rating of Hel-of-a-Book.
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FTC Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Little Pickle Press. This did not influence my review. Although I have no grandkids, I do have two adorable nephews. Next time they’re over, I’ll let them read this book. But I’m going to save it on my bookshelf just in case I have a grandchild someday to read to. Or maybe by that time, they’ll have to read it to me.

26 comments:

  1. Paper made from stone? Get out of here! How does it compare to regular paper? Is there a texture difference?

    I love the title of the book. It's catchy.

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  2. The paper feels like regular paper, perhaps a bit more substantial, not flimsy. But I would not have known it was any different from regular paper if I hadn't read about it. Sort of like the paper you might find in an art book instead of a paperback.

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  3. I love the cover! Also, wonder what the cost was for the paper if it was made out of stone.

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  4. Hi Helen .. sounds a very interesting book .. so many kids' books can be for us too - a gentle reminder!

    Stone paper - sounds very interesting .. similar to those cardboardy books you can get for kids .. or not as thick?

    Thanks for telling us about both aspects .. Hilary

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  5. oh - I'm definitely going to order this book for my grandkids - I work right above the best kid's bookstore 'Woozles' and they are sure to have it or will get it. The owner also owns an ecologically driven store called P'Lovers (planet lovers) so she'll be keen on the stone into paper. Hmmm...what will this do to the rock,scissor, paper game?

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  6. LM, I think the cost was high.

    Hilary, the pages felt "rich" but I would not have known they were made differently if I hadn't read about it.

    Hadn't thought of that, Jan. LOL.

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  7. Stone paper? I hope it catches on! Sounds like a delightful book!

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  8. Laura, I'm older than the targeted age for this book (:-) and I still liked it!

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  9. This sounds like a really engaging way to draw kids into a science type book. With the stone paper too, it's got a lot of good things going on.

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  10. It does, Joanne. And it uses big words and explains the words and treats kids like they are smart, because they are.

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  11. I've read such wonderful things about this little book. I think it would be a great book for youngsters (and adults) to have. A great way to teach something without seeming like you're teaching.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  12. Karen, I like the term "pseudo-grandkids."

    That's true, Mason. It's fun while being informative!

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  13. Great review, Hel, and I love your rating system: Hel-of-a-Book. LOL.

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  14. Hi Dani. My rating system is rather unique to me. Don't think anyone will (want to) steal it!

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  15. I don’t know what is more intriguing the content or the physical book.

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  16. I'm crazy for titles so I would read this for that reason alone.
    A couple of the grandkids would love it. On the gift list with this one.

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  17. Lots of reasons to gift this book: birthdays, Christmas, end of school year, trips, story time, just for the fun of it.

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  18. This is just what children's librarians love to discover! I'm ordering books soon and will be sure to put it on my list. The stone paper will be a delight to tell about.
    Thanks for letting us know about this wonderful book.
    DL Larson

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  19. Yay! I'm so glad you're going to look for it, Deb.

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  20. Thanks for the terrific review, Helen! We appreciate you.

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  21. Will they come up with paper made from scissors next?

    (Rock, paper, scissors? the old hand game?)

    Never mind ...

    LOL, thanks for the review, you do a great job as always. :)

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  22. Everything about this sounds good!

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  23. This is a delightful book. I, too, have a copy that I won when there was a blog tour for the release. My first thought was, I have no grandkids young enough to enjoy the book. Good thing, since I can now keep it for myself. LOL

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  24. Yet another review for Your Fantsastic Elastic Brain. Gotta love it. Best wishes for Deak's and Ackerly's continued success!

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  25. Wow, that bit about the paper is about as endearing as the book itself! Very neat indeed.

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