Review: My Stretchy Body by Liza Fromer & Francine Gerstein MD
Reviewed by Kathie Smith
My Stretchy Body is a simplified explanation about how our bodies grow. It covers several subjects – hair, skin, nails, teeth, muscles, bones, growth spurts and growing pains – in a way children as young as six years old are able to understand.
Subjects are covered through simple medical explanations with official medical terms listed in parenthesis. The text can be somewhat lengthy, but is broken up by “Fun Facts,” engaging “True or False” questions and topic-related anecdotes like how our hair helped our early ancestors retain body heat but is now mostly just an attractive feature. These supplements are attention grabbers for children. The book is also well-organized for younger readers with shorter attention spans and chapters can easily be read individually.
The best feature of the glossary at the end of the book is that it expands on material, such as the nervous system, that is not fully explained in the main text. Though expanding upon these terms when they are initially referenced would be helpful, the book is already packed with medical terms so moving some things out of the main body is understandable. Having the information at the end still allows the reader to revisit a chapter with new information and better understand the subject matter. A comprehensive list of the medical terms scattered throughout the book is noticeably absent and would be a useful addition to the glossary.
Ultimately, My Stretchy Body accomplishes its goal of explaining how our bodies grow to young children and easily prompts questions from the reader interested in further knowledge. The information is appropriate for the 6+ age group, but having an adult read along is strongly recommended in order for children to get the most out of it.
Rating: 
Kathie is a writer, wife, mother and volunteer living in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. Her passion for the written word is fulfilled by creating her own fictional work, freelancing, acting as an adviser to another author, and reading with her six year old daughter.
Review copies were provided free of any obligation by Tundra Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Ages 11 and Under, Children's Books
My son is six and is constantly asking the “why” about everything. This might help me explain some of the answers to his questions (while I have a feeling it could also bring more questions!). I like that it is broken up into shorter chapters for those kids with shorter attention spans such as my son…if you try to cover too much at one time he just gets bored! Thanks for sharing I will look into this one!
I read a few of the first pages and agree that it would be best to have an adult read along with the child. They may not have some of the vocabulary in the book and it might be good for the adult to help explain some things more.
I was curious, the book is supposed to explain growing pains but I couldn’t find out what it said. My son was constantly having leg cramps when he was growing up. I goggled and found out that if the child is having pains in the morning that he needs to be checked by his doctor. Some pains that are put down to “growing pains” may actually be juvenile arthritis.
Carol Wong