Extreme Abilities: Amazing Human Feats and the Simple Science Behind Them

by Galadriel Watson, Cornelia Li (Illustrator)

Overview

Join author Galadriel Watson as she takes us on a journey of discovery—a tour of the human body’s amazing abilities, featuring masters of muscle, speed demons, brain bosses, and more! Extreme Abilities is a fun and fascinating survey of what humans are capable of, with examples from around the world and throughout history. Short sketches of famous individuals, such as Louis Cyr and Usain Bolt, mixed with stories about the amazing physical feats of others not-so-famous, draw readers in and bring these astounding abilities to life in vivid color. Each chapter also features a section on how young readers can work at improving their own skills (and a section on how not to get hurt in the process), plus bite-sized related fast facts and sidebars.

Easy-to-follow explanations of anatomy, physics, and other sciences are enhanced by Cornelia Li’s energetic and engaging artwork, and photos throughout further help to illustrate the awesome displays of the human body at work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773212500
Publisher:	Annick Press, Limited
Publication date:	04/09/2019
Pages:	88
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

Galadriel Watson has a Master's in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. She has written over 20 books and magazine articles for kids on all subjects, from eels to earthquakes. She lives with her family and pets in a small town in British Columbia.

Cornelia Li is a Chinese-born illustrator based in Toronto. She is intrigued by narrative weaved into daily interactions between people and their surroundings and sets out to capture this relationship by externalizing ideas and emotions into visual elements.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Taking It to the Max

Chapter 1: Masters of Muscle

Chapter 2: Pretzel People

Chapter 3: Mind-boggling Memorizers

Chapter 4: Ultra-long Experts

Chapter 5: Brain/Body Bosses

Chapter 6: Deep-sea Mermaids (and Men)

Chapter 7: Speed Demons

Chapter 8: Mathemagicians

Chapter 9: Brave Balancers

Acknowledgments

Select Sources

Index

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2019

Gr 4–7—This slim volume delves into nine types of extreme human abilities of the body and mind. Exploring everything from ultra strength to photographic memories, from balancing acts to meditation, each chapter takes a look at a different ability. The first few pages of the chapter share the experiences of people who have possessed this extreme ability throughout history, and the second part of the chapter explains the science and biology behind the ability as well as suggestions for young readers who want to improve themselves in this area. The author also includes safety warnings and guidelines along with recommendations to prevent students from harming themselves trying to replicate these extreme feats. This will make a great read for young readers who pore over Guiness World Record books and want more background on the records and feats found there. The text is accompanied by full-color illustrations and plenty of fascinating sidebars. VERDICT A popular choice for libraries serving older elementary or middle school students.–Allison McLean, Elkhart Public Library, IN

School Library Journal

2019-01-15

Imagine being able to walk across Niagara Falls on a wire or to lift a wooden platform that's holding 18 large men.

Extreme human abilities appear to come from a combination of innate body differences and sheer determination and training. Watson discusses nine different types of extreme abilities: strength, flexibility, memory, endurance, meditation, underwater breath-holding, speed, mental math, and balance. Each chapter introduces one or more highly talented people, describes their backgrounds, and offers sidebar explanations with some basic anatomy and physiology, a "Hazard Alert!" that warns against children undertaking some of these feats, and then an "Over to You" that offers some tricks of the trade—not to achieve remarkable results but to improve personal skills. Most of the accompanying color artwork consists of cartoonlike illustrations; a few photographs are also included. Some of the extreme abilities push credibility: The platform with 18 men on it that Louis Cyr apparently lifted in 1895 weighed an astonishing 4,336 pounds. Prahlad Jani, an 82-year-old practitioner of meditation, claims not to have had anything to eat or drink since he was a child. Although few readers will have the necessary talent to replicate these remarkable accomplishments, who doesn't love a fantastic (but mostly true!) story?

Brief and entertaining. (sources, further reading, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews