Life On Us

Welcome back to our new releases blog – this is where you can find all our upcoming titles and most recent releases. The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in, and it’s definitely cold and ‘flu season. So if, like us, you’re snuffling on the sofa, what better alternative to daytime TV than learning about the pesky parasites and ghastly germs that find a home on and in the human body… no? Atchoo!

Meet Mini Ventura – and her cameraman, Dave. Mini is making a nature documentary. She’s riding the rapids and sliding down tunnels, seeking weird and wonderful creatures to film and find out about! But the backdrop for Mini’s mission isn’t the Serengeti Plains or the Amazon Rainforest. Oh no. Mini’s going on an adventure… inside YOU!

Fans of our popular character-based titles such as STEM in Our World and Under Your Skin will love Mini and her bright new series Life On Us. Bold graphics and simple text take the reader on a journey through the human body, exploring the pests, parasites and phages that inhabit the likes of you and me. The series uses character narration and an adventurous storyline to explore parts of the body by introducing some of the tiny life forms that call us home – bacteria, parasites, fungi and more! It’s gross, but it’s great and the simple text is well-supported by the bold, engaging imagery – there is so much to see here!

There are eight titles in this fascinating series – a fun way to introduce learners aged 5-7 to the inner workings of the human body. And never underestimate the ick factor when it comes to getting kids to pick up a book!

Let’s get up close and personal with our very personal guests…

Blood

This title introduces the circulatory system by way of it’s inhabitants! Red and white blood cells and plasma are made in the blood, but you might be surprised to learn that there are three different univited guests swimming around in here too! Find out about worms and parasites that live in our bloodstream in this vibrant and exciting adventure title!

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Face

Bet you think your face is pretty clean, right? Nothing living on there… you scrub up pretty well. Well, you’ve done a good job sprucing up, as plenty of things want to move in! From mites in the pores and eyelashes to the eye-watering Loa loa worm, plenty of things live in the thriving metropolis of bacteria and parasites that is your face!

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Feet

You’ve heard the phrase ‘walk a mile in their shoes’? Well, did you know that there are literally millions of tiny lifeforms who walk a mile with you every day… on your feet! These fungal followers are responsible for the pong of your PE socks – and there’s even a flea that likes to make home sweet home in the skin of your heels! This one’s a toe-curler!

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Gut

Investigate your digestive system – and look out for the locals! We couldn’t live without our internal neighbours, including the bacteria and blood cells that help your food on its way through your body. Watch out for the threadworms – and even they duck when the tapeworm makes an appearance!

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Hair

Look out for lice and sneak up on scabies in the forest that’s just for one – you! Your hair is a hiding place for mites and ticks, and even worms and maggots can burrow their way under your scalp, so whip out the nit comb and let’s bust those bugs!

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Lungs

A thrilling trip through the respiratory system, where bacteria breed and blood cells stand guard. There’s plenty of life in the lungs – and even the fluke worm finds a home in the human lungs!

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Mouth

Take a trip behind the teeth and see what cave-dwellers live there! It’s hot and humid in the mouth, so bateria good and bad settle in as soon as we open our mouths for the first time! Sugared up and ready to rot, the bad bacteria are locked in constant battle with our tooth enamel!

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Skin

It’s definitely the itchy and scratchy show as we take a saunter over the skin and look for life on us. Bed bugs, lice and all things not nice make our surface their home - not to mention a bellybutton full of bacteria! Mites, ringworm and fungus – the whole gang is here, from warts to worms!

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