I received an electronic ARC from Lerner Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Clever way to introduce younger readers to the microbiome inside human bodies. D'yans shares the river running through our digestive systems and introduces the wide variety of protectors inside our bodies. They also address the "bad guys" who attack the biome. Great way to emphasize how important diet is for growing bodies.
Soft colored illustrations bring the microbes to life and emphasize the wide variety involved.
Informative text at the end of the book offers further research.

Beautiful book about a very interesting subject.The colors,the art and the writing is very appealing.Children will fell in love with the tiny creatures/monsters microbes .I thoroughly enjoyed the book and read with my children.The story of how are gut works and what are good and bad food choices for a healthy life.
I would highly recommend book to be adapted as a chapter in children's text book.

Major kudos for "A Garden in Your Belly" for providing much needed content creatively displayed for readers! The connection between health, nutrition, and gut microbiomes is a critical and timely issue for readers. Bright and largely playful illustrations dominate the book, and it is refreshingly honest. Perfect for older kids needing to understand how body systems work together! Lots of great extra info in the back too!

This was a unique children’s book that was a basic introduction into the microbiome. The illustrations were gorgeous, and although some of the descriptions were a little wordy, I think most middle grade kiddos would have an easy time understanding this. It is a great starting block for STEM education!

Review to come October 1st on blog/Goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just love reading about microbes, read a fun one in Dutch during my vacation, and so when I saw this adorable book telling kids about what they have in their stomachs, I just knew I had to request it.

This cute book tells kids in easy language and fun and bright illustrations what is in your stomach. From the river that is your intestines to how you can get microbes. Aka by playing, touching. Like by touching a book, or by playing with a dog. It talks how each garden is unique to each person. We see what the microbes do, of course in very simplified language. And what you can do to help your microbes to make sure they stay happy and healthy, as that is important. Because otherwise bad things will come in your stomach that will make you sick. I definitely loved how everything was explained and how clear it was.

I was also happy that they added some addition information at the end. And also a glossary explaining some of the tougher words.

I had such a laugh when all that food floated by. From broccoli to pizza.

The illustrations are bright, colourful and just a delight. They really help carry the story and the explanation and I am sure that kids will love them.

All in all, I would recommend this one to everyone.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this children's book. I LOVED the illustrations and the easy words it used to explain this to children! I definitely have not seen another children's book like this out there!

A gorgeously illustrated book that explores the digestive system. This book introduces the concept of microorganisms to children with a magical and whimsical approach. The storytelling aspects are unique and I appreciate how this book highlights science and the importance of healthy foods.

I thoroughly enjoyed the colourful illustrations—I absolutely loved the watercolour style. The art is gorgeous and engaging.

Overall, this was a fun and informative read. This book serves as a great introduction to biological concepts to a younger audience and I would recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review.

The beautiful watercolor impressionistic illustrations alone are enough to warrrant purchasing this book. Add to that the fact that it’s filled with amazing facts about the wonder of the microbiome inside of us. Here is a book that will enable children to marvel at the intelligent design of our created bodies: the way our gut impacts our emotions, the way teensy tiny organisms protect us (and how we get them), the way what we eat affects our health, and more. The back of the book includes a glossary and a page of “Amazing Gut Facts.” Five stars. Well done!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a very informative storybook about the importance of taking care of the good guy bacteria in your gut. Through unique storytelling we learn what the microorganisms do in your gut and what happens when you feed it bad food. Unique and excellent stem book for kids.

With whimsical illustrations that make the digestive system magical instead of medical, this book teaches children about how your body processes food. It teaches the importance of healthy foods and moving your body in order for your body to be it's healthiest self. (Note: it does not at all touch on weight, which is appreciated). It does this by using the metaphor of a garden in your belly and describing the many things that contribute to your health.

I can't say I really expected this to be an enjoyable success, but it certainly was. Introducing primary school children to the concept of friendly bacteria etc in our guts, there is no internal photography, and no evocation of splodgy half-digested gunk going through us. No, in almost hippy-like language, we have a river flowing through us, and the microorganisms we were born with and have ingested since are our special garden. The artwork is not as twee as that sounds however, for if you spend the time to examine it you find strangeness after strangeness – and that's long before the bad gut bacteria turn up and tell us to eat junk. It's really as if Bosch used play-doh to give us a biology lesson at times. The text is perfectly legible for the young – really it's one classroom session, and one two-hundred word essay, before the more teacherly notes at the end – and in conveying how cyclical things are – we eat crap, we get the message we should eat more crap, etc – it really does present us with all we should need to consider our internal workings and what we might be doing to this aspect of them. I haven't come across a book doing anything similar with this subject, and I have to say I don't think others need bother – this has nailed this particular market.

The idea for this book is fantastic, it is about the microorganisms in your body. This is a difficult concept for young children to understand, and the abstract pictures make it even harder to understand, This book would benefits from more realistic photos and explanations.

This book is a timely introduction to the microbiome inside the human body, what makes it happy and what does not, and how the microbiome responds to its environment inside the human gut. The illustrations are wild and colorful, and the text is easy to understand. A good introduction to the topic.

I love everything about this beautiful picture book. My kids have grown up hearing about their friendly bacteria and microbiome (yes, I'm that kind of mother 😉), but I've never seen a picture book talking about the topic before. This one uses vivid watercolor illustrations and adorable creatures to teach kids about their microbes and all the ways they matter. I appreciate that it doesn't smash a bunch of boring, technical stuff into a book for kids but still gives a lot of information. It also covers a lot of things scientists have only recently learned, such as the way our microbes influence our emotions, the way good and bad bacteria can influence food cravings, and how they need a variety of healthy foods to keep them healthy (no, you don't need to just pop probiotic pills). The whole thing is done in a really whimsical, celebratory way that highlights the science and how remarkable it all really is.

I hoped that there would be a little bit of information at the end (where there is more detailed info) about things that we now know can harm our beneficial bacteria like the overuse of antibiotics, antibacterial products, and even glyphosate (RoundUp, which has antibacterial properties and is found throughout our food supply these days). That said, this is a fun, educational and gorgeous book that will teach kids and their grown ups lots about why our microbiome is so important and the healthy ways to keep it happy. This is one that I may purchase for our home library and will definitely recommend.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.