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Science Comics
The Digestive System: A Tour Through Your Guts
In Science Comics: The Digestive System, visit the inside of your mouth, stomach, liver, intestines, and other organs that make up the gastrointestinal tract! Your guide to the gut is a friendly bacterium who will take you on a journey beyond imagination. Uncover how food is transformed into nutrients! Explore strange and dangerous glands! Behold the wonders of saliva, mucus, and vomit! Writer Jason Viola and illustrator Andy Ristaino provide a trip to the toilet you will never forget!
Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic—dinosaurs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, robots, and more! Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these graphic novels are for you!
Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic—dinosaurs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, robots, and more! Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these graphic novels are for you!
128 pages, Hardcover
Published March 21, 2021
14 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 31, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this science comics! The adorable illustrations coupled with fantastic storytelling provides an enjoyable ride into the inner world of our gut.
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May 30, 2023How? Baby randomly saw this on the shelves at the library -- and we read about ~30 pages of this graphic explainer before leaving the library.
What? It's a graphic explainer about the GI tract, as told by and to an E. coli bacterium who knows everything about the mouth and nothing about the rest of the body.
Yeah, so? This is not pitched for 6-year olds, and yet he loved it. There's some big wordy chunks that I'm sure went over his head, but there's some humor he definitely got, and he's mentioned once or twice the names of certain body parts that I never remember/learned -- let's see how long I retain the knowledge of where the fundus is or what bile really does or where the duodenum slides into the jejunum.
Anyway, we've already ordered other books in this series.
What? It's a graphic explainer about the GI tract, as told by and to an E. coli bacterium who knows everything about the mouth and nothing about the rest of the body.
Yeah, so? This is not pitched for 6-year olds, and yet he loved it. There's some big wordy chunks that I'm sure went over his head, but there's some humor he definitely got, and he's mentioned once or twice the names of certain body parts that I never remember/learned -- let's see how long I retain the knowledge of where the fundus is or what bile really does or where the duodenum slides into the jejunum.
Anyway, we've already ordered other books in this series.
April 11, 2021
There are seriously so much s books in the science comics series that I can’t even keep up. All of the books are packed with info and nicely illustrated, this one was no exception. “The digestive system: a tour through your guts” just what it seems like. The speaker, a small bacterium named “E” with an identity crisis wanders through the digestive system and teaches the readers about it, while also learning new things. The funny part about the speaker is that although it’s teaching the readers how to prevent stomach aches and malnutrition, it’s actually a harmful strand of E. coli, which can cause blood clots. I just think that’s the biggest plot twist ever (sorry for the spoilers).
E starts his tour of the digestive system in the mouth. What he doesn’t know is that the digestive system is more then just the mouth and takes a wild ride through the stomach and intestines, and finally finishes off in the toilet as a piece of poop.
Biology teaches better use this instead of the boring textbooks since this probably has way more information and it’s actually interesting. Unlike textbooks, this doesn’t just spew topic after topic, it is pretty organized and the illustrations really help with that. Also some random humor added throughout the book also made the book way more enjoyable.
I would definitely recommend this to middle schoolers and people studying biology, but mostly to the teachers so they USE THIS INSTEAD OF TEXTBOOKS!
E starts his tour of the digestive system in the mouth. What he doesn’t know is that the digestive system is more then just the mouth and takes a wild ride through the stomach and intestines, and finally finishes off in the toilet as a piece of poop.
Biology teaches better use this instead of the boring textbooks since this probably has way more information and it’s actually interesting. Unlike textbooks, this doesn’t just spew topic after topic, it is pretty organized and the illustrations really help with that. Also some random humor added throughout the book also made the book way more enjoyable.
I would definitely recommend this to middle schoolers and people studying biology, but mostly to the teachers so they USE THIS INSTEAD OF TEXTBOOKS!
April 8, 2021
Gross and highly detailed. Perfect for middle schoolers interested in biology.
December 20, 2020
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
In this entry of Science Comics, artist and writer attempt to break down a complicated system and explain it with clever illustrations, narrated by bacteria found throughout the digestive system. Readers are taken through the major areas of digestion: the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and the rectum. Other organs discussed are the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and appendix. Vomit, burping, and farting are also explained as products and necessary functions of digestion.
I was initially thrown a bit off this title because the first concept that was chosen to to covered was the different elements that are in our food that the body must absorb for its functions. This created an introduction full of complex terms and scientific processes without much background to go off of. In other Science Comics titles, words in the glossary are highlighted a different color when they appear in the text, but not so with this one. They are italicized, but not indicated that these words appear in the glossary at the end. Once I got past the types of materials, the rest of the explanation of digestion and the parts of the process were broken down nicely and easier to digest 😜.
The accompanying illustrations more often provided comic relief, less often actually illustrated the process that was being described. They did provide some needed levity to a very dense topic.
Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-10
This review was made possible with a digital reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.
In this entry of Science Comics, artist and writer attempt to break down a complicated system and explain it with clever illustrations, narrated by bacteria found throughout the digestive system. Readers are taken through the major areas of digestion: the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and the rectum. Other organs discussed are the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and appendix. Vomit, burping, and farting are also explained as products and necessary functions of digestion.
I was initially thrown a bit off this title because the first concept that was chosen to to covered was the different elements that are in our food that the body must absorb for its functions. This created an introduction full of complex terms and scientific processes without much background to go off of. In other Science Comics titles, words in the glossary are highlighted a different color when they appear in the text, but not so with this one. They are italicized, but not indicated that these words appear in the glossary at the end. Once I got past the types of materials, the rest of the explanation of digestion and the parts of the process were broken down nicely and easier to digest 😜.
The accompanying illustrations more often provided comic relief, less often actually illustrated the process that was being described. They did provide some needed levity to a very dense topic.
Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-10
This review was made possible with a digital reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.
March 16, 2021
A graphic novel tour of the digestive system with the help of some friendly bacteria who give tours of the various stops along the way and tell how food is broken down at each point and what helps out in the process.
I taught Biology and AP Bio for several years, and even I learned a few things from this. (Like the fact that they’ve figured out the appendix actually does have a purpose in recent years.) This was incredibly thorough. AP Bio students could totally use this to review the digestive system before the exam in May. It covers more info than would actually appear on any AP test (which means it could also substitute for any high school or entry college level textbook section on this body system). And it is way, way, WAY more entertaining than any textbook. So you get loads of educational information and you get entertained. Sounds like a win win to me. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I taught Biology and AP Bio for several years, and even I learned a few things from this. (Like the fact that they’ve figured out the appendix actually does have a purpose in recent years.) This was incredibly thorough. AP Bio students could totally use this to review the digestive system before the exam in May. It covers more info than would actually appear on any AP test (which means it could also substitute for any high school or entry college level textbook section on this body system). And it is way, way, WAY more entertaining than any textbook. So you get loads of educational information and you get entertained. Sounds like a win win to me. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 22, 2020
I have read and reviewed several Science Comics books previously. I generally find them to be very informative and fun for the kids. (Adults too.) While this book was plenty informative, it might have been too informative. There were a ton of complicated words right from the beginning and my kid’s (13yrs and 11) eyes just started to gloss over. True, there is a glossary in the back, but there were just too many terms to wrap their brains around. The pictures helped a little, but the best parts, naturally, were the parts that talked about burping, farting and vomiting. My favorite part was when the little narrator realized what he truly was. Fun story, but information overload for the kids. Thank you, NetGalley and First Second books for the arc in exchange for my unbiased review.
March 26, 2022
As other reviewers have said, this was a little TOO informative. As an adult who has taken biology classes and has a lot of background information on the subject, there were parts that confused me. Lots of big vocabulary introduced very quickly without explaining it quite enough. There were also some adult(ish) jokes like showing a bacteria (I think that was what it was I'm blanking on what it was) being hanged, the perfume bottle, the two nutrients (maybe... like I said there was so much in it I got a bit lost and I'm too lazy to open it back up to check) being combined and one saying "well it was good for me." I don't know, it just didn't seem entirely written for that middle grade age group despite the child friendly illustrations.
December 12, 2020
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.
This is an informative, maybe too informative, book about the digestive system. I haven't read a Science Comics book before but I thought they were meant for upper elementary students. This book would probably be too difficult for a lot of younger students. I thin that some high schoolers might find the language to be too much. I found myself glossing over some of the pages because it felt more like a textbook.
This would be a good addition to a school library and could be used in a science course where the vocabulary could be explained more.
This is an informative, maybe too informative, book about the digestive system. I haven't read a Science Comics book before but I thought they were meant for upper elementary students. This book would probably be too difficult for a lot of younger students. I thin that some high schoolers might find the language to be too much. I found myself glossing over some of the pages because it felt more like a textbook.
This would be a good addition to a school library and could be used in a science course where the vocabulary could be explained more.
February 10, 2025
This was a pretty good book about the digestive system but my complaint about it was that on page 96, there was a couple that was a woman with a what was probably a trans black woman and then there was a black girl with two dads. These Science Comics books are getting frustrating because I have already DNFed 3 of them because of LGBT characters. They’re science books for kids. Please leave gender ideals out of science books. I don’t care to read about LGBT characters in science books. I pick up science books to learn about science stuff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2020
Science Comics: The Digestive System didn't disappoint. The illustrations were clear and the comic panels were easy to follow. Words combined with panels help the visual learner in understanding the human digestive system. It's not only helpful for those currently learning about the Digestive System, but helps satisfy the curiousity of children interested in learning about the human bodies. Another winner from Science Comics.
August 27, 2020
A thorough and fun look at the digestive system. I love the use of a bacteria as the narrative, taking us along on their journey. Turning the different parts of the system into characters made it a lot more engaging than simply explaining them, even with colorful artwork. There is a lot of information in here so it may potentially overwhelm some readers. It's broken up so it's easy to stop and pick it up again but it's still a lot of info to consume.
July 28, 2020
I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Jason Viola and First Second Books through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book contains a lot of information about the digestive system, at times it was a little dry, but I think this book will provide the most entertaining way for kids to learn about the digestive system. The illustrations were humorous and interesting.
This book contains a lot of information about the digestive system, at times it was a little dry, but I think this book will provide the most entertaining way for kids to learn about the digestive system. The illustrations were humorous and interesting.
December 18, 2023
A great supplement to an anatomy textbook. The author gets deep into the weeds for some concepts, but the curious kids will soak it all in. One illustration depicts two men watching TV while holding hands on a couch, so that might be something that some adults will want to be aware of before reading with children. It's a very small panel and easy to skim over, but kids don't miss much.
May 2, 2024
Good, but not enjoyable. Most of this book was just endless info-dumping. The creators of this book took a lot of steps to make it entertaining. But I found it hard to be entertained by bacteria. The art was good. I think this one actually would take to re-reading and be a decent reference. But I am just not appreciative of the subject.
September 1, 2020
I am a huge fan of the Science Comic graphic novel series! What a fun way to lure students/kids into learning about new things. Graphic novels are very popular with my students at the moment. I was both intrigued and disgusted as I read about the digestive process! Great information.
June 15, 2021
I am a big fan of the Science Comics series and this is my favorite so far. Smart and funny with some gross thrown in. This is the kind of book that could really grab kids who are bored with typical science books. Very much recommended.
April 18, 2023
I'd been wanting to read this because I love the series and it was the perfect thing for me to read but I had given up on it on my first attempt. I eventually picked it up and breezed through it. A fun way to learn about the digestive system.
October 22, 2024
The Digestive System is such a weird and wonderful place. This book helped me understand the mystery of what's happening in my body, the explanation of the poop process and fart process were a hit with my 11 year old. Great work
Want to read
June 11, 2020Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
June 30, 2020
Like all in the series this is brilliantly written, colourful and engaging. My son loved it and I’ll be ordering copies for school.
April 22, 2021
Informative and minimally gross. Maybe too much information in some parts. That it takes about 20 pages just to get to the point where food is swallowed will maybe show just how detailed it gets.
June 3, 2021
Gut(Get/Understand)it!
August 30, 2021
Well done. Not my favorite topic, informative and fun to read.
September 15, 2021
GREAT nonfiction!!
December 10, 2021
A bit busy, but a fun and funny look at the digestive system. A lot going on and informative.
August 2, 2022
gross as fuck
October 26, 2022
Take a journey starting at the gateway and on until the exit. Travel along with a friendly bacterium through the gastrointestinal tract, and learn how the digestive system works.
November 26, 2022
Clever explanation of the extremely interesting and amazing digestive system. I like this series, but they are a bit too much information for the average joe, much less kids.
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September 6, 2023Interesting read- I learned some new things!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews