Books like It Takes Guts — picked by fans

When I used this book to research my book's backmatter, it kept disappearing because my kids kept stealing it off my desk to read it.

A lift-the-flap book made of sturdy, board-book-style paper, it’s accessible for young kids, but any age kid would enjoy it. It also talks about what foods are important to eat for growth and energy, and made it waaaay easier to have conversations with my kids about why we eat certain foods for dinner (yay, vitamins and minerals!) and why we limit certain foods to special occasions.

Adults and kids alike will learn something!

I was on a panel with Aliza when this book came out, and I immediately bought a copy to take home to my kids.

It’s full of facts about various healthy foods, but also has spaces for kids to draw or doodle things like their meals, what their face looks like if they eat something icky, or their dream garden. It helps kids understand why colorful foods like fruits and vegetables make bodies feel good without being preachy.

It’s fun to see a non-fiction book where kids are encouraged to draw and write their thoughts. It almost feels more like a journal than a book, in the best possible way.

This is the first book I ever read that truly helped me understand food as a power source.

So often, we hear about “good” foods or “bad” foods, but this book talks about how different attributes impact how we feel and perform. Cynthia wrote it after watching her daughter’s soccer games and noticing how often other parents brought processed snacks and sugar-sweetened drinks for team snacks. She wanted the team to understand they could play longer better by eating and drinking differently.

While it’s written for tweens and teens, my husband used the strategies and recipes when he ran ultramarathons (why, yes—that was before we had kids) and needed to fuel up for long runs. I love recommending this to any kid in sports because it gives them tools to both help them both on the field and in life.

I have never seen another book like this.

A board book designed for ages 0-6, How We Eat shows photographs of how a variety of kids eat. Some babies nurse or are nourished through feeding tubes; some kids eat with forks, chopsticks, hands, or specialized feeding devices. It features photographs of a diversity of kids, some with limb differences or specialized feeding needs.

The book is a celebration of eating, however you and your family do it. It is joyful, inclusive, and a really beautiful way to help kids understand that we are all a big, human family who loves to eat, no matter what our differences may be.

Should bookstores shelve Gulp in the Humor section or the Science section? Both.

With her usual comedic and eclectic approach to her subject, Roach ranges and rages through our digestive system end to end. She mixes plenty of real science with quirky and unexpected diversions headlined by chapter titles such as "Dead Man’s Bloat and Other Tales from the History of Flatulence Research"; "Up Theirs, The Alimentary Canal as Criminal Accomplice"; and "Stuffed, The Science of Eating Yourself to Death".

It’s informative. It’s fun. Worthy of digestion.

I have used this book as a reference to explain gut anatomy for the past 12 years; it is amazing for anyone wanting to understand how our gut works. It cleverly explains the complex anatomy and science behind each part but in an easy-to-understand format that does not require qualifications in this area.

This is the only “How to” book in this selection that literally spoon-feeds us. Love Your Gut has over 50 recipes: from banana and fig breakfast loaves to chickpea crêpes, spinach pesto pasta to tofu satay skewers—there’s something for everyone. However, at the guts of it, this book deals with how our gastrointestinal tract is also inherently linked to our immunity. Taking charge of what we place in our guts, Rossi feels, is one of the best ways we can take control of our health and wellbeing.

The old saying that you can “feel it in your gut” is true. Our gut microbiome (community of microbes) is part of our brain!

Our own bacteria tell us to eat sugar so they can digest it. Bacteria in our intestines make our neurotransmitters that prevent depression and Parkinsonism. They make short-chain fatty acids that strengthen our immune system and endocrine organs.

Now, doctors are developing “psychobiotic” microbes like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus to treat anxiety and other disorders. This research inspired my science fiction about microbial aliens in the brain.

As a kid, I would have carried It’s Catching with me everywhere, reading facts about our microbial world out loud to anyone who would listen.

Starting with an introduction to a disease detective—who just happens to be the author, a real-life (female!) science researcher—the book gives a perfectly concise intro to the teeny world of microbiology before branching out into specific players like viruses and bacteria.

My favorite section dives into “Great Germs”—the most common illnesses our bodies face on a global scale. It’s filled with super-interesting anecdotes covering things like the history of the disease, how it was named, how it spreads, or how to prevent it. Each pathogen even gets rated 1-10 on the “Danger-Meter!”  

I love simple graphical picture books. I love books with a sense of humor. I love books that are interactive, talk directly to the audience, and get kids to physically act out things as they’re being read to. This story has so many elements that I love…I wish I wrote it! The story explains that microbes are everywhere and invites the reader to touch the book and pick up a tiny microbe that is lounging in the paper. Then it invites the reader to touch one of their teeth. This transfers the microbe into their mouth. The book goes on to prompt the reader to discover the microbes in their clothes and their belly buttons! Yuck, right? Well, that kind of yuck is an effective way of demonstrating the point that after you touch stuff, it’s a good idea to wash your hands.