Simon, Seymour. 1993. Professor I.Q. explores the brain. Illustrated by Dennis Kendrick. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Boyds Mill Press, Inc. ISBN: 1-878093-27-4.
Professor I.Q. serves as the reader�s guide to a tour of the human brain. This friendly narrator, with the help of his ever-faithful cat, teaches a group of children (and subsequently the reader) everything about the human brain in a fun � yet factual�manner. There are many tools within the book that communicate information to the reader: the text, the dialogue boxes of the characters, and the try this features that are spread throughout the text. Another helpful feature is that all key words are presented in bold text.
The book is a fun way to learn important facts about the brain. One of the things that makes this book fun rather than boring is the illustrations. Dennis Kendrick communicates fun and humor through his illustrations. For example, on the first two pages, Professor I.Q. is wondering why his new computer won�t work. The reader, if observant, notices that he has forgotten to plug it in! The illustrations remain clever and subtle throughout the rest of the text. For example, there are many pages where books � or spines of books�are shown to the reader. These titles are often humorous. For example, one of the books Professor I.Q. has in his library is The Periodic Table of Elephants. Another fun element of the book are the try thisfeatures. There are around thirteen try this activities in the book. These activities give the reader an opportunity to interact with the text and pick up some hands-on knowledge. The features complement the text well and bring the reader into the action. For example, there is an activity in which the reader can learn if they are right or left-brained. The text itself is full of information and facts. However, the context of that information � cartoon style tour�makes the information more digestable. Simon�s book is both informational and entertaining.