It's My Brain!

Written and illustrated by Elise Gravel

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

978-1-0397-1009-2

40 pp.

Ages 6-9

October 2024

 

From the brilliant brain that first brought us lessons about our bodies and how they work comes a fabulous follow-up about the control centre of those bodies. Elise Gravel, known for the quirkiness of her amorphous creatures in books such as It's My Body!, Everybody!, and Killer Underwear Invasion, has brought them back to teach young readers about the brain and its functions. Perfect for our youngest readers who are just learning the basics of the human body, It's My Brain! takes an in-depth but comical look at the brain and what it does for us.

From It's My Brain!, written and illustrated by Elise Gravel

From an introduction in which the brain is described as "big, jellyfish, squishy wods of chewing gum," It's My Brain! covers the basics of the brain's form and function. The text describes how information is collected through our senses, processed and responded upon. It talks of the learning that has to happen for babies. Most importantly, it talks about how, though our brains are essentially the same in what they do, they can work differently.

From It's My Brain!, written and illustrated by Elise Gravel

The spreads that discuss how we learn differently and at different rates are important ones. Readers will undoubtedly appreciate that some people learn through independent work while others prefer socializing to help them learn. Some learn better through play and activity, whereas others learn best through quiet observation. This acknowledgement of the diversity of brains and the positive message to respect these differences are a hallmark of so many of Elise Gravel's illustrated non-fiction books and one that elevates the lessons within from just content to a model of STEM teaching for young children.

From It's My Brain!, written and illustrated by Elise Gravel

But beyond lessons about the human body and how it works, Elise Gravel reminds us that sometimes the brain is challenged and struggles, and that talking to a trusted person, whether it be a parent or teacher, friend or doctor, "can help our brains feel better."

From It's My Brain!, written and illustrated by Elise Gravel

Young kids need to learn about body parts and what they do but It's My Brain! takes anatomy lessons from form and function to ones of sensitivity and appreciation. As always, everyone is included in It's My Brain! whether they be blobs of turquoise, red or gold. It doesn't matter whether they have ears or not, or pickle-shaped bodies or use a wheelchair; they all have brains that work for them and so deserve care.

 

Elise Gravel's colour palette and unique creatures are her trademark and will always get readers excited for a new lesson or story that reminds us that we are human and how to be our best selves. By making connections for kids between what their brains do to help them be and do, Elise Gravel boosts learning about a squishy mass to an appreciation of wonder for the human body and the diversity of its form.

 

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Scholastic Canada provides activities like connect the dots and more for It's My Brain! as well as other Elise Gravel books at https://www.scholastic.ca/books/app/webroot/elise-gravel/.

 

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The Inside Scouts Help the Kind Lion (The Inside Scouts #1)

Written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths

Illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

Acorn (Scholastic)

978-1-338-89498-1

64 pp.

Ages 4–7

RL 1.0

February 2024 

 

Sanjay and Viv are the Inside Scouts, and they have the superpower to shrink super small and go inside animals to make them feel better. In this first book in this illustrated early reader (RL 1.0) series, the kids must help a lion who is not feeling his best.

Inside Scouts!

Always on call!

To fix big things,

we get super small! (p. 20)

 

From The Inside Scouts Help the Kind Lion, written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

Ruslan  is a lion who wants to run and play with his cubs, but he is feeling far too tired to do so.  Using some very cool tech, the kids show Ruslan a leak in his heart. Gearing up, the two go in through his nose–though they must be careful not to tickle the sensitive lion–and follow a vein to the heart.

From The Inside Scouts Help the Kind Lion, written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

The Inside Scouts show young readers how the heart is made up of four rooms, with doors called valves that allow movement of the blood. Though the story is appended with "Fun Facts about the Heart" that describes the pumping of the heart and uses terms like circulates, arteries, veins and chambers, the illustrations are done at such large scale that the anatomical features of the heart are not readily discernible so even the squeamishest of children will have no problems with the artwork. But they will have a sweet introduction to how our hearts work and how those with poorly-functioning ones might feel.

From The Inside Scouts Help the Kind Lion, written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

Not only will the Inside Scouts help young children understand their bodies, but the series will also make them think about illness and how our behaviours may be impacted by health issues. Whether it's a lion that cannot play with his cubs because of a leaky heart, or a giraffe with an upset tummy or a cheetah with a leg cramp (Books 2 and 3 are out later this year), the Inside Scouts teach and encourage empathy for those who may be suffering.

From The Inside Scouts Help the Kind Lion, written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

The tale of the kindly lion with a big heart, albeit a leaky one, will delight young readers with its mixture of humour–such as the kids getting sneezed out of the lion's nose with slime–learning and story. Mitali Banerjee Ruths, who also writes The Party Diaries series for the Branches early chapter book imprint of Scholastic, has written a text that is perfect for the earliest readers but challenges them with more sophisticated words in the "Fun Facts about the Heart" section. There is also an activity (Draw Your Own "I Am Kind" Badge) and encouragement to write a story about being kind. With artwork by Filipino-American Francesca Mahaney, who has done a fabulous job of illustrating what could have been a perplexing topic for young children, The Inside Scouts Help the Kind Lion becomes an accessible but bold adventure of colour, shape, and story, and one that will be a hit with readers, teachers and parents.

 

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The Inside Scouts Help the Kind Lion (February 2024)

The Inside Scouts Help the Brave Giraffe (June 2024)

The Inside Scouts Help the Strong Cheetah (October 2024)