Are You What You Eat?

Gr 3–6—The bright colors and creative page layouts emblematic of DK enhance this strong offering that breaks food and nutrition into interesting nuggets, puzzle pieces of the larger whole. The book describes how humans are the only species to cook their food, and it includes a fascinating time line relating when various items common today entered the human diet, artfully arousing curiosity about what we eat every day (for instance, cocoa was introduced in 1900 BCE, pizza in 1,000 CE, and coffee and potatoes in the 16th century). Illustrated discussions of how food supports the body's building blocks and fuels them are fascinating, while comparisons of nutrition guidelines in the United Kingdom and the United States indicate there is no one answer to how much is enough. Viewers will appreciate a dramatic graphic that analyzes a fast food hamburger. Enticing quizzes may spark further discussion. A strong glossary and index are appended. Students doing reports will find much content, but they will need to read carefully to understand the interrelationships.