Aliki, in her classic - simple and charming - style, explains each of the five senses for preschoolers. Text and pictures explain what each of the senses is used for - "When I drink my milk and eat my food, I use my sense of taste. I am tasting." My children ask for this book over and over.

Subtitled a Catholic Science Hands On Program of the Human Body, this is a program best used with kids in grades 4 to 8. My Temple of the Holy Spirit is a very practical study of seven of the systems of the body from a Catholic and pro-life perspective. It covers various systems of the body, but not the reproductive systems, the integumentary system, or all of the excretory system. It is thoroughly Catholic, with the Faith integrated throughout. It is user-friendly for both parent and child and very nonthreatening, even for those who are frightened of teaching science. 

A typical lesson has a list of terms with definitions that will be used later, the material to be learned with the vocabulary words underlined, a page of comprehension questions, a diagram to label, a list of supplementary activities, and "Fun Facts." The supplementary activities range from Bible reading to field trips to experiments to research papers. The wide range of activities make it easy to adapt this program for students of different ages. Patterns and directions for making a life-sized human body outline with cloth organs are in the back of the book. So are several activities covering all the systems studied, which can be used as a final exam if desired. To use this program properly, it is essential to have access to a library or lots of science books.

This is not a full-year study nor one for high school. Bearing those limitations in mind, this Catholic, pro-life, easy-to-use, hands on, multi-level, and inexpensive study on systems of the human body is an excellent choice for science study. 

Update April 2024: The text of this book has been combined with Catholic Boys & Girls Health by Dr. Mary Ann Grobbel into Behold and See 4: Human Anatomy and Health, from Catholic Heritage Curricula. The content has been revised into a full-color spiral-bound "work-text" with a more attractive layout, room for students to write their answers, and color illustrations.

This is a fascinating and colorful look at the heart and the amazing job it performs. Computer-enhanced photos are used to illustrate the heart and the blood vessels while magnified images give us a close-up look at the blood. Also included are simpler illustrations showing the chambers of the heart, it's valves and arteries and the general make-up of arteries and veins and their valves. The text is simple enough to be understood by fairly young children (particularly as a read-aloud) but is written in such a way as to capture the awe and mystery of how our body works. It covers quite a bit of material in a fairly in-depth fashion - the basic workings and function of the heart, the various components of the blood, the various types and functions of the blood vessels, the basic path of the blood through the body, how the lungs work within the cardiovascular system, the role of white blood cells and some of the problems that people develop in their blood's circulatory system. An impressive, engaging and informative book.