Caramel’s reviews – Page 64

Caramel reviews Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Nervous System by Hyun-Dong Han

In the past two weeks Caramel reviewed Survive: The Digestive System and Survive: The Circulatory System, the first two books in the Survive: Inside the Human Body series illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han. This week he is reviewing the third and last book in this series of graphic novels: Survive: The Nervous System. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So after traveling through their friend Phoebe’s digestive system and then her circulatory system, Geo and Doctor Brain are back again! And what are they doing this time?

Caramel: They are in her brain this time. They figure out that there is a tumor in her brain. In her optic nerves.

S: That is scary! But how do they get from the circulatory system to the brain?

C: They went into the ear through the blood system, and then they went to the brain.

S: Okay, I don’t quite get it; I guess I will have to read this book too…

Caramel is reading Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Nervous System by Hyun-Dong Han. — Caramel is reading *Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Nervous System* by Hyun-Dong Han.

S: Anyways, so Phoebe has a tumor, then?

C: Yes.

S: Is it malignant?

C: No it is benign. That means it is not cancerous and it does not spread fast. It grows slowly.

S: Good, so they have some time. Then do they try to get out or fight the tumor somehow?

C: They get out. They take a sample with them, and then they get out. That is how they find out that it is benign.

S: How do they get out?

C: They go to the eye, and then she cries, and they come out with her tears.

S: That is an adventure!

C: Really weird one!

S: So what did you learn in this book?

C: That there are two different types of tumors. And I learned about REM sleep. That is when you are having dreams and your eyes move. Rapidly. So Rapid Eye Movement = REM.

Caramel is reading about why we sleep in Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Nervous System by Hyun-Dong Han. — Caramel is reading about why we sleep in *Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Nervous System* by Hyun-Dong Han.

S: I see you read some of the fact pages! Did you read all of them? I know you like facts.

C: Yes but I did not read all of them this time. I wanted to read the story first.

S: I get that. Maybe you will go back and read the fact pages the next time.

C: Yes, probably.

S: So overall, did you enjoy reading this series?

C: Yes. I really enjoyed it. And I’m glad they got out!

S: Would you like to shrink and travel inside a living body?

C: I don’t think so. I don’t want to face parasites or tumors. And I also like being a normal-size bunny, and bouncing around is fun.

S: Maybe you could bounce around inside someone’s body.

C: Still, I don’t think I would like it.

S: I know. It can be scary. So let us wrap our review up with your three words for this book.

C: Funny, action, and color.

S: Those are good words to describe this book!

C: Yes! And stay tuned or more book bunny reviews!

Caramel has really enjoyed Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Nervous System by Hyun-Dong Han, and recommends the whole series to all little bunnies. — Caramel has really enjoyed *Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Nervous System* by Hyun-Dong Han, and recommends the whole series to all little bunnies.

Caramel reviews Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Circulatory System by Hyun-Dong Han

Last week Caramel reviewed Survive: The Digestive System, the first book in the Survive: Inside the Human Body series illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han. This week he wanted to continue talking about this series of graphic novels, so today he will tell us about the second book: Survive! The Circulatory System, once again illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han. As is often the case, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you have enjoyed these books so much that you wanted to talk about the second one today.

Caramel: Yep.

S: So tell us from the beginning. What is this book about?

C: It is about the circulatory system.

S: So what is the circulatory system?

C: The circulatory system is the system that moves blood around the body.

S: So in this book we learn about the human body and the blood circulating through it. But then is it all about facts? Or is there a story line too?

C: Yes, there is a story line.

S: Tell me about it.

C: It’s about Geo and Doctor Brain and they go into Phoebe’s body accidentally. She eats them.

S: Wait, these are the same characters from the first book, right?

C: Yes. Phoebe and Geo are two friends. Doctor Brain is a mad scientist who invented the S.S. Hippocrates.

S: Oh do you know who Hippocrates was?

C: Yes. He lived in ancient Greece and he was a healer, and he believed that people should look at diseases in a more scientific way.

S: Yes. People see him as “the father of medicine”. So what is S.S. Hippocrates?

C: It’s a big ship but can shrink and go inside a human body. But they were not trying to get into anybody’s body.

Caramel is reading Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Circulatory System by Hyun-Dong Han — Caramel is reading *Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Circulatory System* by Hyun-Dong Han

S: Hmm, so in the first book they somehow get trapped inside Phoebe’s digestive system, she somehow eats them. How do they get into her blood stream this time?

C: They are digested.

S: So they were not able to get out the last time, and from the digestive system they are transferred into the circulatory system. Is that correct?

C: Yes.

S: Oh that sounds exciting but also kind of scary.

C: It is. They are attacked by microphages, white blood cells, and Kupfer cells.

S: Wait, what are Kupfer cells?

C: Oh apparently they are a type of microphage!

S: So they are attacked by the immune system while in the blood stream? That makes sense. After all, they are not supposed to be there!

C: Yeah. Plus Doctor Brain apparently made S.S. Hippocrates look like a bacterium.

S: That makes even more sense, of course: then the body’s defense system would try to fight it. We learned all about white blood cells and microphages in Cells At Work, right?

C: Yes, but we did not learn about the Kupfer cells there. Hey, why don’t we put in the song for Cells At Work here?

S: Good idea! Here you go, but viewers should keep in mind the show is quite violent—the little bunnies in our household often covered their eyes while we were watching the show—so this introductory sequence is also kind of violent (in second 39, you meet the White Blood Cell and with him start the violence and the gore):

Here is the introductory sequence to Cells At Work in English (warning: there is significant violence and gore in the show and in this video too).

S: Let us get back to the book. So do they figure out how to get out of Phoebe’s body?

C: Nope, not yet. You need to read the third book for that.

S: Oh, so this one ends with a cliffhanger!

C: Yes! But it was not bad because I actually wanted to read the third book anyway.

S: That makes sense. You like graphic novels and you like learning about facts.

C: Yes I really like facts and there are a lot of them in this book.

Caramel is reading about the liver in Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Circulatory System by Hyun-Dong Han — Caramel is reading about the liver in *Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Circulatory System* by Hyun-Dong Han

S: So this was a good read, then?

C: Yes, it was!

S: Tell me three words to describe it.

C: Colorful, informative, and funny.

S: Those make a good endorsement for this book! So it is time to wrap up!

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny adventures!

Caramel enjoyed reading Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Circulatory System by Hyun-Dong Han, and recommends it to all bunnies interested in learning about the human body. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Circulatory System* by Hyun-Dong Han, and recommends it to all bunnies interested in learning about the human body.

Caramel reviews Survive! Inside the Human Body: The Digestive System by Hyun-Dong Han

A few weeks ago, as the book bunny household was just finishing up watching the (surprisingly violent but also extremely engaging) manga series Cells At Work, we came across a series of graphic novels set inside the human body. Of course both little bunnies read through the books in the blink of an eye. Today Marshmallow interviews Caramel about the first book in the series: Survive: The Digestive System, illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han.

Caramel reviews Survive: The Digestive System, illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han. — Caramel reviews *Survive: The Digestive System*, illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han.

Marshmallow: So, Caramel, what do you want to tell us about this book?

Caramel: This book is a book that can teach a lot.

M: What is something you learned?

C: I learned that the esophagus is a hole that goes down to your stomach.

M: What happens in the book?

C: It’s about a girl named Phoebe, and then there is this Doctor Brain. Doctor Brain’s a medical person who’s a mad scientist too. He invents this machine that makes things smaller, and then accidentally, Geo and Doctor Brain get swallowed by Phoebe.

M: Who is Geo?

C: Phoebe’s friend.

M: Who is the other character on the cover?

C: That is Kay, the assistant of Doctor Brain, and Geo and Phoebe’s friend.

M: What are Geo and Doctor Brain trying to do?

C: They are trying to get out of Phoebe’s body after she swallows them.

M: What part of her body are they in?

C: In this book, they are in the digestive tract.

M: “Digestive tract,” that’s a big word. But wait, does the “In this book” mean that there are more books?

C: Yes, there are two more. There is a book on The Circulatory System and another on The Nervous System.

Caramel is reading Survive: The Digestive System, illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han. — Caramel is reading *Survive: The Digestive System*, illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han.

M: Is this book scary?

C: Sort of, maybe for little kids. It could be scary for younger kids.

M: Do you have a favorite character?

C: Doctor Brain because he’s smart. Really smart.

M: Do you think that this book is easy to read?

C: Yes, it’s a pretty easy book. It’s a graphic novel, and it has fewer words than a normal book.

M: Did you enjoy reading it?

C: Yes, I really liked it.

M: Do you think that everyone could like it or do you think that the book is meant for a certain age group?

C: I think that every one could like it.

M: Do you like the pictures or the drawings?

C: The pictures are pretty good drawing. They do describe the action pretty well. They are colorful.

M: In some parts, there are facts, right?

C: Yes, there are many facts. Here’s one, “We use nearly 40 muscles to chew and swallow.”

M: Wow! That a lot of muscles. I wonder if bunnies like us use more or less.

Caramel is reading one of the fact based spreads in Survive: The Digestive System, illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han. — Caramel is reading one of the fact based spreads in *Survive: The Digestive System*, illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han.

M: So, Caramel, what are three words that describe this book?

C: Action, informative, and colorful.

M: Sounds good to me! And it’s about time to wrap up. What do you say?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel has enjoyed reading Survive: The Digestive System, illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han, and recommends it to all other little bunnies interested in the human body. — Caramel has enjoyed reading *Survive: The Digestive System*, illustrated by Hyun-Dong Han, and recommends it to all other little bunnies interested in the human body.

Caramel reviews From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea by Kai Cheng Thom

For his first review back, Caramel grabbed a book from a pile of books on Sprinkles’s desk for which she has been planning a joint review and decided he wanted to review it. The book From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea, written by Kai Cheng Thom and illustrated by Wai-Yant Li and Kai Yun Ching, is about a young child and their identity. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions—and she is still planning a review of the remaining books on her pile on this topic for the near future.

Caramel reviews From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea, written by Kai Cheng Thom and illustrated by Wai-Yant Li and Kai Yun Ching. — Caramel reviews *From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea*, written by Kai Cheng Thom and illustrated by Wai-Yant Li and Kai Yun Ching.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you grabbed this book from my pile and decided you want to review it yourself. Why?

Caramel: I like it. I like the creatures in it. The illustrations.

S: You are right, the illustrations are neat. They have beautiful colors and they remind one of being in a dream.

C: This book is a good book if you like mythical animals.

S: Okay, I see what you did there. That is the kind of thing Marshmallow says about books when she is reviewing them. But where do you find mythical animals in this book?

C: In the pictures!

S: Tell me more about the book Caramel.

C: There is a child named Miu Lan in this book. They are not a boy nor a girl.

S: Are they a mythical creature themselves then?

C: Sort of. Basically they are.

S: But not really, right? Because this can happen sometimes, and a child may not feel like they are a boy or a girl or a little bit of both or neither.

C: Yes, but I think Miu Lan is actually a mythical creature, because they can change their form when they want. When they want to, they can grow a turtle shell and porcupine quills.

Caramel is looking at the pages in From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea (written by Kai Cheng Thom and illustrated by Wai-Yant Li and Kai Yun Ching) where Miu Lan is going to school for the first time and they are so excited that "they grew a tail of peacock feathers and a coat of tiger stripes". — Caramel is looking at the pages in From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea (written by Kai Cheng Thom and illustrated by Wai-Yant Li and Kai Yun Ching) where Miu Lan is going to school for the first time and they are so excited that “they grew a tail of peacock feathers and a coat of tiger stripes”.

C: And they can also fly!

S: Yes, I love how they have scales and feathers or wings or stripes as they wish. It is pretty exciting to think about. But do you really think they are doing those things when they claim they are?

C: Probably not. But it would be cool if we could do that, wouldn’t it?

S: I think so, too. I’d especially like to be able to fly.

C: As bunnies we can at least jump pretty high…

S: Again, true. But back to Miu Lan. I don’t think they are a mythical being any more than you or me. But there are two little creatures that show up on each page that look like mythical beasts themselves.

C: Yes. There is a dog with a fish tail, or maybe a whale tail. I don’t know. I think that is the best creature in the book.

S: There is also a poem that the mother sings to her child every other page and we hear it resonate through the story, like in a retelling of a myth, where you would have repeated verses. Can you read that poem to me?

C: Okay let me find it. Ah, here we go:

whatever you dream of,
i believe you can be,
from the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea.
you can crawl like a crab or with feathers fly high,
and i'll always be here, i'll be near, standing by,
and you know that i'll love you till the day that i die. 
whatever you dream of,
i believe you can be,
for you are my child, courageous and free.

S: That is beautiful Caramel, isn’t it?

C: Yes but it is not the best sleeping poem, because I don’t think I want to think of you dying before I go to sleep.

S: I can see that, but saying “I’ll love you till I die” is something people say when they love someone so deeply and so unconditionally, that they want to make sure the person knows their love will always be there as long as that person lives. I can see how the death part might be off-putting. Other than that, do you like the poem?

C: Yes. Other than the death part I like it.

S: So the book is about this child Mui Lan who is different from other children in their school and they try to fit in and find friends and have some difficulties.

C: Yes. But in the end things work out. They do make friends.

S: That is true. This is a beautiful story. Maybe I will read it to you again tonight.

C: Yes, yes, yes, yes, I’d like that!

S: So now are we ready to wrap up this review?

C: Yes! Stay tuned for more book bunnies reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures in From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea, written by Kai Cheng Thom and illustrated by Wai-Yant Li and Kai Yun Ching. — Caramel enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures in *From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea*, written by Kai Cheng Thom and illustrated by Wai-Yant Li and Kai Yun Ching.