Heartbeat (Imagine This!)

by Doe Boyle (Author) Daniel Long (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Series: Imagine This!
Flick-dash flick-dash! Lub-DUB. Lub-DUB. Lub-DUB. From tiny meadow mice to tall giraffes to the octopus with three hearts, each animal's heart has its own beat, in tune with its body's needs. Strong graphic art and rhythmic text packed with interesting facts to capture imaginations.
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School Library Journal

K-Gr 4--This science title uses poetic verse to describe the heartbeats of several different animals. Each animal, including the pygmy shrew, the giraffe, the octopus, and the python, receives a two-page spread with a lyrical verse listing the number of times the animal's heart beats per minute. Additionally, the text provides two small pieces of information about the spotlighted animal's heart, life, or habits. Over the course of several profiles, this approach feels repetitive rather than informative. The final spread culminates in a verse explanation of the human heart followed by a prose explanation of how the heart works. A labeled illustration of a human heart allows readers to visualize the information. An author's note reveals the inspiration behind the book; resources feature books for children and adults. VERDICT A secondary purchase for most collections, except for libraries with patrons who clamor for poetry or light nonfiction on specific topics.--Brittany Drehobl, Morton Grove P.L., IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Touring the ticking innards of 12 creatures, ranging from pygmy shrews ("thought to have the world's fastest heart rate") to wood frogs that can still their hearts "for up to eight months," Boyle uses free verse to creatively explore "the unmistakable sound of a tireless muscle." Though the poems occasionally feel overlong, scattered rhymes, onomatopoeia, and line breaks give the lines rhythmic pulse: "In evergreen forests of the great Far North/ live black-masked wood frogs, / whom you might hear chuckling/ (like a quacking duckling)/ in springtime and summer and fall." The conclusion, centered on human hearts, leads to an explanation of "How Your Heart Works" with a diagram. Long's crisp-edged, colorful pictures capture readily identifiable details: suckers on an octopus's tentacles, patterned python scales, and a gorilla's muscled chest. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Heartily inspiring."—Kirkus Reviews

Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780807531907
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Albert Whitman & Company
Publication date
September 01, 2020
Series
Imagine This!
BISAC categories
JNF051150 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Zoology
JNF051050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Biology
JNF013110 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Concepts | Body
Library of Congress categories
Blood
Heart

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