Why Do I Bleed?

We all poo and grow, and most of us will have, at some time or another, sneezed, bled, drooled or had an itch. These are all ordinary life events that we may just take for granted, never really questioning “why?” we do them or why they happen. Children who read the six books in the “Why Do I?” series, however, will come away with new understandings, especially in terms of how the focal subject matter of each book contributes to a person’s health. As has come to be expected from books in Crabtree series, this title has an opening table of contents and a closing page containing a brief glossary of words highlighted in the text and an index. All books in this series are illustrated with cartoon-like art.

Explaining the role of blood in providing oxygen to the body is central to Holmes’ Why Do I Bleed?. In essence, the book deals in simple terms with the cardiovascular and circulatory systems (though those terms are not used by Holmes). As well, she touches upon blood’s makeup, blood types and scabs. “Blood Gets Around” is the title of a two-page spread that requires the reader to turn the book 90 degrees in order to access its contents. There, via a cutaway diagram, Holmes traces the four steps of oxygen’s passage from the nose, into the lungs and then the heart before being delivered to arteries and then back to the lungs via veins. A closing “Blood Busters!” section offers some heart and blood trivia.

More demanding of its readers in terms of its content than most of the other books in the “Why Do I?” series, Why Do I Bleed? nonetheless provides its intended audience with a good introduction to the vitally important of blood in our lives.