A Garden in Your Belly: Meet the Microbes in Your Gut
on Goodreads (257)
What’s inside...
Your belly is full of tiny creatures! Vivid watercolors and lively text teach kids about the garden of microscopic flora growing inside them, how it keeps them healthy, and how they can help it thrive. 'A Garden in Your Belly's colorful world helped me wake up...This book is as powerful as it is beautiful!' --Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Your belly is full of tiny creatures--and they love to eat! Along the river of your gut, tiny creatures move, eat, and grow. Learn more about the garden of microscopic flora growing inside the body and come on a journey that explains an important biological concept: the microbiome, the health of which affects everything in our bodies. Did you know that some foods are better for your microbiome (and you!) than others? Striking, original watercolor illustrations keep things from getting too gross. Informational back matter goes further into the science of the microbiome and reveals amazing facts about the gut.
Series reading
Non-Sequential
Age
7-11
Length
32 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
What do you think it means to have a garden in your belly?
How do you feel about the tiny microbes living inside you?
What are some ways we can help the good microbes in our gut grow?
Why do you think it's important to take care of our gut health?
Can you imagine what your own belly garden looks like?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to describe the microbes using their imagination, fostering a personal connection to their own health.
Use analogies related to actual gardening to help your child understand how gut health works.
Discuss the importance of eating a balanced diet and how it can be beneficial for their belly garden.
After reading, encourage your child to draw their version of a 'belly garden' to reinforce their understanding and keep them engaged.
Validate their feelings and thoughts about the content, reassuring them about the normalcy and importance of gut microbes.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Importance of a balanced diet
Explanation: The book illustrates how different microbes thrive on varied nutrients, showcasing the need for a diverse diet.
Real-World Application: Children can understand the value of including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in their meals to nourish their body and their gut microbes.
Example Lesson: Understanding of bodily functions
Explanation: It explains the complex process of digestion in a captivating, easy-to-comprehend way, making the science of gut health accessible.
Real-World Application: Kids learn to appreciate their body's functions, fostering a sense of curiosity and care towards maintaining their health.
Example Lesson: Empathy for invisible organisms
Explanation: By personifying microbes, the book helps children empathize with these tiny, unseen beings that play a crucial role in their health.
Real-World Application: This can lead to a broader understanding and respect for all forms of life, reinforcing the interconnectedness of our ecosystem.
Example Lesson: Importance of hygiene
Explanation: The narrative touches on how some microbes can be harmful and the importance of good hygiene to keep harmful bacteria at bay.
Real-World Application: This encourages children to adopt healthy hygiene habits like washing hands before eating and after playing outside.
Example Lesson: Science as an adventure
Explanation: The journey through the gut is depicted as a vibrant, thrilling adventure, making the scientific content engaging and fun.
Real-World Application: This approach can foster a lifelong interest in science, encouraging children to explore and learn actively from the world around them.