Carnovsky & Kate Davies – Illumanatomy (Literature Review)

The minute you open Carnovsky and Kate Davies’ Illumanatomy, you’ll be transported to a technicolour wonderland of scientific exploration.

Divided up into sections pertaining to different body parts, and how they work together, Illumanatomy set to get even the most reluctant of readers interested in science. Combined, it’s an important resource for readers of any age, whether old or young, who are interested in gaining more insight into what makes us, as humans, function.

When writing a children’s book such as this for an audience of eight to twelve-year-olds, one could be easily tempted to dumb down a subject as vastly complicated and intricate as the inner workings of the human body. After all, this is a topic that has dumbfounded even the most intelligent of adults for years now.

Davies, however, does no such thing. While the textbook mumbo-jumbo that most of us associate with high school labs is conspicuously missing from this book, at no time does the reader feel pandered to, or that the information has been stripped of its importance. What remains are the straightforward facts, plain and simple. In fact, the most complicated word you will encounter is perhaps the book’s title.

As important as the written information is in this book,  Illumanatomy truly shines because of the illustrations contained within its pages. To the unsuspecting reader, the illustrations seem to be a mismatched mass of colour that make as much sense as those magic picture books we all struggled to find the image in as children.

But, put on your provided 3D glasses and follow the instructions provided and you’re privy to an imaginative scenescape like no other. Through the lenses, the reader is given a more in-depth look into the human body as visions of muscles, skeletons and vital organs and blood vessels literally leap off the page.

There are dozens of human anatomy books on the market at the moment – a quick Google search will reveal that. But Carnovsky and Kate Davies’ Illumanatomy takes the cake for the budding scientist or special bookworm in your life.