Your amazing skin from outside in by Joanne Settel, illustrated by Bonnie Timmons

"Poetry about skin" is not really something I would have thought I'd be up for - for one thing, I'm really not a poetry person - but I really liked Settel's earlier book, Exploding Ants so I gave this one a chance. And I'm glad I did!

Brisk rhymes take readers on a fascinating journey with "Dr. Jo" through the world of our own skin. Starting with skin layers, continuing on to colors (both permanent and changing), Settel explains the function and make-up of our skin. The poems are interspersed with facts, cartoons, and diagrams while the poems themselves include bolded vocabulary. "Inside the dermis of the skin/are protein threads called collagen,/which coil like springs, so skin can then/be stretched and still spring back again."

Once readers have learned the basics, the poems move on to fingerprints, why and how you sweat, get goosebumps, or wrinkled skin in the water. The next three chapters addresses the healing process of skin from cuts and bruises, to sunburns and mosquito bites, finishing with pimples, blisters, and warts.

The concluding poem reminds readers, in a humorous and friendly style, to take care of their skin, especially with sunscreen. A detailed glossary follows, then a list of websites, references and additional reading, and an index.

Older readers who may balk at poetry, will be drawn in by the cartoons and find themselves learning words like "epidermis" and remembering that they have two million sweat glands in their dermal regions without even realizing it! Teachers will find this a welcome resource for learning about the human body and curious readers will be interested to dip into the poetry and pore over the facts as they learn about their wonderful skin.

Verdict: A unique resource for your human body section, sure to find readers among teachers, families, and kids. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781481422055; Published September 2018 by Atheneum; Review copy provided by author; Donated to the library