If you’ve ever struggled to teach your children about their bodies and how to keep them healthy, then The Human Body Detectives is for you. Created by Dr. Heather Manley, The Human Body Detectives takes kids on exciting adventures into their bodies to learn all about how they work and what foods best feed them. Dr Heather was inspired to write The Human Body Detectives stories after searching for books about healthy eating tips for parents and kids and not being able to find what she was looking for.
Human Body Detectives
The Human Body Detectives stories feature Merrin and Pearl, sisters who find they have the magical ability to enter different systems of the body to solve health mysteries. Through the girls’ action-packed adventures as Human Body Detectives, listeners learn how the various systems work and which foods best fuel each system.
Ideal for both the home and the classroom, these beautifully illustrated books offer activity pages as well as a glossary of terms and information about the best foods kids can eat to keep their bodies healthy. A curriculum for teachers is also available for each book. The Human Body Detectives series offers science with a twist–an accessible lesson about the human body presented in a fun, relatable way that kids will love.
Each Human Body Detective book can stand alone as well as be read as part of the series.
The Human Body Detectives workbook (currently available for some titles only) is filled with games and puzzles reinforces what kids have learned from the audio cd and helps them further understand the importance of maintaining a healthy body. Includes: 23 pages of fun & educational activities, exciting audio CD story and 44 full color stickers.
My “Aha!” moment for creating the Human Body Detectives series came while I was making breakfast for my daughters, Merrin and Pearl. Prior to that moment, I had been trying to find accessible information for kids to supplement the talks on digestion and nutrition I was giving at local elementary schools, but I was coming up empty-handed. The material I found was too advanced for the kids I was teaching. I wanted entertaining and educational information on the different physiological systems within in the body that also addressed how kids can live healthy lives.
As I flipped the pancakes, I realized that I needed to create what I had been searching for. And the Human Body Detectives were born. I joined a local writing group and began writing and editing. More writing, more editing. I had a blast and Merrin and Pearl enjoyed listening to my stories and helping to make them better. My very own test subjects! But I couldn’t stop there.
Dismayed at statistics about the epidemic of childhood obesity and increased illnesses among children as a result of malnutrition, I teamed up with a colleague who holds a master’s degree in education from Stanford and together we created a comprehensive elementary school curriculum for third through fifth graders based on the books I had written. Finally, I had what I’d originally been looking for–a fun, interactive way to engage students and aid them in understanding their body functions and healthy lifestyle choices.
– Dr Heather Manley, author.
Titles from The Human Body Detectives:
- Human Body Detectives Book Collection includes titles:
- Case#1 The Lucky Escape – Merrin and Pearl’s little brother Robbie has swallowed a penny. Through magic and imagination, they find themselves in his digestive system where they must grab the penny, save Robbie, and narrowly escape his poopy diaper.
- Case#2 Battle with the Bugs – Merrin and Pearl enter their cousin, Max’s, immune system to find out why he was sick. During their journey, they travel up Max’s nose, ride on a white blood cell into battle against the bacteria that was making Max sick, and use their knowledge of nutrition to successfully end Max’s fever.
- Case#3 A Heart Pumping Adventure – Merrin and Pearl enter their dad’s circulatory system to explore how healthy his heart is after they see him overindulging in a very unhealthy breakfast. During their journey, they ride on a red blood cell through the lungs, get lodged in a blood vessel by fatty buildup, deliver oxygen to the body, and so much more.
- Case#4 Osteoblasts to the Rescue – Merrin and Pearl examine their friend Lily’s skeletal system on their journey to reach the broken bone in her arm. Along the way they slide down rib bones, climb up the clavicle, see the fracture, and so much more.
- Case#5 Brainiacs – Merrin and Pearl venture in to the nervous system when their favorite teacher, Ms. Anderson, spills hot tea on her leg. On the way to her brain to examine how she’ll react, Merrin and Pearl ride a nerve impulse, bounce among dendrites, explore the brain’s gray matter, and so much more.
- Human Body Detectives: The Lucky Escape! – Activity Workbook and Audio CD
- Human Body Detectives: A Heart Pumping Adventure – Activity Workbook and Audio CD
- Human Body Detectives: Battle with the Bugs – Activity Workbook and Audio CD
Reviews:
Antoinette de Janasz – President, The Twooth Timer Company:
The Human Body Detectives in a must-have in every child’s book collection! Not only do they teach how the human body functions in a fun & engaging way, they also teach children how to fuel their bodies in a healthy way. These books are a wonderful tool to inspire a love of science and future scientists.
Mel Hicks – President, Big Time Tea Company:
I love that the stories weave food and nutrition into the narrative to give kids an understanding of why eating whole foods is so important. If you’re looking for something that educates and entertains children – while teaching parents as well – don’t miss out on this modern “physiological” version of the Magic School Bus series.
Nurture for the Future 