Moving and Grooving

The Secrets of Muscles and Bones

by Melissa Stewart

Benchmark Books, 2010

for Grades 3 to 5

ISBN 978–0‑76144–166‑3

Purchase this book at your local independent bookseller or Amazon.com.

The lively, conversational tone and blend of photos and cartoon-style art make Moving and Grooving: The Secrets of Muscles and Bones a perfect blend of fun facts and serious science learning about how bones and muscles are responsible for every move we make. Here at last—a book that’s irreverent enough to captivate young readers, yet authoritative enough to win the praise of teachers, librarians, and parents.

Honors and Awards

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator/Anna Cross Giblin Nonfiction Research Grant

Reviews

“The Gross and Goofy Body [series of books] enlivens physiology for kids, offering humorous yet scientific surveys of body functions in just under 50 pages each. Kids in grades 2–4 will find [these books] appealing and fun. Each blends photos with fun cartoons and photos of kids, along with plenty of basic physiology.” (Children’s Bookwatch)

“Despite its irreverent moniker, the Gross and Goofy Body series offers detailed science facts in a fashion approachable enough to make it a welcome supplement to school textbooks. Each volume takes on a part or function of the body and then goes through the paces of description, metaphor, examples, data, and, most extensively, comparison to our animal counterparts. … the layout is fresh, clean, and colorful, sidebars keep things conversational, and the back matter is solid.” (Booklist)

Behind the Book

“Before I did the research for this book, I never truly appreciated how much we rely on muscles and bones. Without muscles, we couldn’t stand up, sit down, eat, breathe, poop, or pee. And if we didn’t have skeleton, we’d be nothing more than a puddle of blood and guts. I also uncovered some great information about the muscles and bones of other animals. For example, a caterpillar uses more than 4,000 muscles to crawl across a leaf, and who knew that animals could use their tongues in so many amazing ways!”