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"Muscles Make Us Move"
Reviewed by Children's Author
Kathleen Stemke "Author" (Mount Airy, Georgia)
(August 22, 2011)

"Muscles Make Us Move"
by Bill Kirk

Author Bill Kirk has added another amazing rhyming non-fiction book to his The Sum of Our Parts Series in Guardian Angel Publishing's Academic Wings, Muscles Make Us Move!! Like his books about bones and the circulatory system, this book uses easy to memorize fun rhymes to name the major muscle groups and their job in our bodies.

Two names of leg muscles,
Just might make you laugh,
Gastrocnemius and soleus
Are found in the "calf."

In addition, you will find a valuable teaching and learning aid on every page, a factoid. These are every teacher's dream because they're jam packed with vital information in a simple and interesting format.

Factoid: Smooth muscle is also called INVOLUNTARY muscle because the brain tells those muscles what to do without your even knowing about it.

Eugene Ruble's detailed and amusing illustrations add to the value of this book. The full body muscular drawings with over a hundred muscles displayed provide extension learning possibilities for students.

The glossary provides a quick and easy way to identify the muscles highlighted in the book. As a retired teacher, I would highly recommend Muscles Make Us Move for every classroom, school and personal library. I wish I had this book when I was studying anatomy and physiology in college. It's simple enough for young students and interesting enough for adults to enjoy for years to come.

So remember...

And when brushing your teeth,
After eating dessert,
Buccinators in your cheeks
Make water go "squirt".

For more information on how you can purchase "Muscles Make Us Move" go to Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.

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Reviewed by Children's Author and Illustrator
Kavitha Punniyamurthi (India)
(August 22, 2011)

"Muscles Make Us Move"
by Bill Kirk

The Sum of Our Parts is a series of rhyming, non-fiction picture books focusing on fundamental concepts of science. This series is ideal for early learners who are presented with scientific terminology in anatomical systems for the first time, particularly in the fifth through the eighth grades.

Muscles Make Us Move, the third book in the series, teaches the names, physical locations and functions of major muscle groups in the human body.

The layout of the text combines simple and witty rhymes with factoids on each page. Bill Kirk's conversational style of writing will appeal to young readers and make it easier for them to understand basic scientific facts. Kirk cleverly interjects humor into the text which will help children remember difficult-sounding anatomical terms.

Eugene Ruble's anatomically precise and neatly labeled color illustrations act as a great tool for visual learning. The book is accompanied by a detailed glossary of terms. All the books in this series are available for purchase from the Guardian Angel Publishing Bookstore in three formats - Print, eBook and on CD.

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Reviewed by Children's Author
Jessica Aday Kennedy (Mineola, TX)
(August 20, 2011)

"Muscles Make Us Move"
by Bill Kirk

Want to learn the major muscles in the human body? How old are you? The truth is it won't matter. All age groups, child to adult, can learn from Bill Kirk's latest addition to the "Sum of All Parts Series."

Rhymes and illustrations abound making this a learning experience in disguise. It's fun and interesting. Each page includes a colorful and detailed illustration by Eugene Ruble, factoid and rhyme by Bill Kirk. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

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Reviewed by Writer and Speaker
Janet Ann Collins (California)
(August 16, 2011)

"Muscles Make Us Move"
by Bill Kirk

Like the other books in Bill Kirk's series, this one is appropriate for a wide variety of ages.

Each page has a simple, amusing rhyme that would appeal to young kids while giving them some basic facts, and a "factoid" that provides more detailed, scientific information older kids and even adults can learn from. Many of Eugene Ruble's detailed, colorful illustrations list and show interesting things that may not all be mentioned in the text. The glossary at the end summarizes all the muscle names and uses.

From curious preschoolers to older students working on term papers, all kids can enjoy learning from this book.

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Reviewed by Children's Author
Cheryl Malandrinos at the Children's and Teen's Book Connection blog
(September 9, 2011)

"Muscles Make Us Move"
by Bill Kirk

Bill Kirk's The Sum of our Parts series continues with Muscles Make Us Move. In Kirk's rhyming series of books that help youngsters learn about their bodies, this new installment focuses on the part of the body that help us move-muscles. From abductors to hamstrings, from pectoralis major to triceps, and more, we couldn't do all we need to do without the more than 630 muscles in our bodies. Muscles Make Us Move takes a funny look at the major muscles, helping kids learn while being entertained.

I reviewed an earlier book in this series, No Bones About It, in 2009. I immediately fell in love with Kirk's witty rhymes coupled with the unique, and sometimes zany, illustrations provided by Eugene Ruble. Together, these men create a book that makes young people want to learn about a subject they might find boring otherwise.

Every elementary science classroom studying the body should have a copy of each of The Sum of our Parts books. With Muscles Make Us Move, Kirk and Ruble continue to offer young readers a book that contains silly rhymes, factoids, word quests, and a glossary, all complemented by fabulous and funny artwork. I hope these men continue to collaborate. They always deliver a winner!

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