Brains!: Not Just a Zombie Snack by Stacy McAnulty

Abstract

Reviewed by: Brains!: Not Just a Zombie Snack by Stacy McAnulty Elizabeth Bush McAnulty, Stacy Brains!: Not Just a Zombie Snack; illus. by Matthew Ri-vera. Holt, 2021 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250304049 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 5-8 yrs “Human brains used to be my favorite food. (About 75 percent water. 100 percent delicious),” the reformed zombie narrator reassures her audience. She’s now directing her efforts toward education, and with her intimate knowledge of brains of various tastes—er, types—she’s pretty good at organizing basic information for a primary grades audience. Here kids get the scoop on the relatively stable number of neurons throughout life, the pathways they form, the parts of the brain and their functions, and the importance of brain folds over size in determining overall smarts. A running gag has the narrator reverting to her old cravings: “Mouse and bunny brains have hardly any wrinkles and hardly any flavor. Blech!” The contrivance may wear thin with older listeners, but it’s a clever enough device for keeping the audience on alert for humor breaks. McAnulty and illustrator Rivera demonstrate a well-coordinated [End Page 23] approach, with cartoony diagrams smoothly and logically integrated into the text and a bile-green narrator, complete with facial scar and patched clothing that suggest participation in a recent apocalypse—friendly, but with just enough edge to carry off references to her, well, cerebral tastes. Science teachers will want to consider this as an entertaining unit kickoff. “Brain Facts” and sources are included. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois