January 18, 2017

Review: To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space by Dr. Dave Williams

Title: To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space
Authors: Dr. Dave Williams and Loredona Cunti


Of all the questions astronauts are asked by kids, the most frequent one is “How do you go to the toilet in space?”
This book not only answers that question, but many others about the effect of zero gravity on the human body:
How do you brush your hair in space? What happens when you sweat? What does food taste like? The best thing is that the answers are provided by Dr. Dave Williams, a NASA astronaut who speaks from first-hand experience. Written for kids ages 7 to 10, this book uses age-appropriate language to explain the different phenomena that astronauts encounter during a mission. The bright, colorful pages, short blocks of text accompanied by photos and humorous illustrations make this a very attractive choice for young readers. The opening message from Dr. Dave empowers kids to follow his example by believing in themselves and following their dreams.


A true test for any book is to see how my students react when they hear about it.  I had this book sitting out in my teaching area and bunches of kids spotted it and were really interested.  I then shared it with the whole class asking how many would be interested in reading it.  I'd say at least 90% of the hands went up if not more! When that happens I know the book will do what I need it to do - get gets interested in reading.  But I mean really - what kid wouldn't be interested in this topic.  It covers such fun things as burping, using the toilet, and farting in space.  Perfect!  But it also covers things like sleeping in space, how being in spaces changes your height and eating.  Even as an adult I'm curious because it tells about all those things you wonder about when it comes to traveling in space.  And yes, all those things you want to know but were embarrassed to ask! I found the pages on blowing your nose most interesting.  And because I teach about credibility - it's perfect that the book is actually written by a form astronaut.  

In short - a super fun book that will get kids reading and learning and possibly picking up more books about space! 


2 comments:

  1. I can imagine that all the kids wanted to read this one. I want to read it. How fun. Thanks for the post.

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  2. Kids, teachers and parents will love Dr. Dave’s wonderful book. It tells it like it is!

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