Dr. Dave Williams | The Children’s Book Review | November 30, 2016
Dr. Dave Williams’ Selfie With To Burp or Not to Burp
Writing this book was a lot of fun. Our goal was to create a book that would capture the imagination of young readers by stimulating their curiosity about how the body functions in space. The idea for the book came from a question asked by a primary school student after a presentation on space that I gave several years ago. He wanted to know whether gravity was required for food to go to the stomach and what would happen when you eat or drink in space. Early in the space program doctors asked the same question, and as we now know, it is possible to successfully eat, sleep, exercise, and live in space. Young readers love asking questions and the answers in the book address all aspects of how our bodies work in space. We hope that all readers will enjoy reading the book as much as we did writing it. It is a book that parents and young readers can enjoy reading together.
Dr. Dave Williams’ Shelfie
This section of my bookshelf is typical of the types of books I enjoy reading. Ranging from biographies and narratives on the space program to the physiology of human spaceflight and aerospace medicine, it reflects my passion for science, medicine and the exploration of space. From my perspective, exploration is a relentless quest for knowledge, a quest that has taken me from a neuroscience laboratory to the depths of the ocean and the extremes of outer space. I also enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series and Tom Sawyer was one of my favorite books when I was growing up.
***
To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space
Written by Dr.
Publisher’s Synopsis: Of all the questions astronauts are asked by kids, the most frequent one is “How do you go to the toilet in space?”
This book not only answers that question, but many others about the effect of zero gravity on the human body:
How do you brush your hair in space? What happens when you sweat? What does food taste like? The best thing is that the answers are provided by Dr. Dave Williams, a NASA astronaut who speaks from first-hand experience. Written for kids ages 7 to 10, this book uses age-appropriate language to explain the different phenomena that astronauts encounter during a mission. The bright, colorful pages, short blocks of text accompanied by photos and humorous illustrations make this a very attractive choice for young readers. The opening message from Dr. Dave empowers kids to follow his example by believing in themselves and following their dreams.
Ages7-10 | Publisher: Annick Press | 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-1554518531
Available Here:
About Dr. Dave Williams
DR. DAVE WILLIAMS made two flights on the Space Shuttle and performed three spacewalks on the International Space Station. He also lived and worked in the world’s only underwater ocean laboratory to become Canada’s first dual astronaut and aquanaut. He is currently the CEO of a hospital just outside Toronto.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Discover more books like “To Burp or Not to Burp,” by Dr. Dave Williams, by checking out our reviews and articles tagged with Astronaut Books, Books About Spacefligh, Human Body Books, Science, and Space; and be sure to follow along with our Selfie and a Shelfie series.
