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newlenoxpatriot.com Life & Arts
the New Lenox Patriot | September 7, 2017 | 21
Husband, wife educate children about anatomy through book
Jason Maholy
Freelance Reporter
Most preschool-aged children
know – even before
they can read – “C” is for
cat. But do they know the
third letter of the alphabet is
also for “cranium?”
A husband and wife from
New Lenox believe most
probably don’t, but through
a book they co-authored
hopes to educate children on
that fact, and other aspects of
human anatomy and physiology.
“B is for Biceps,” the
first book by professional
physical therapists James
and Amy Randolph debuted
in May on Amazon and
BarnesandNoble.com.
“The idea is to [introduce]
anatomy to children, and
spark an interest and curiosity
on what makes up the human
body,” said James, who
teamed up with his wife,
Amy, to write the book.
The inspiration to write a
children’s book on anatomy
came to the Randolphs a
couple years ago during a
fruitless search for just such
a publication. The couple
was in a large chain bookstore
looking for a book for
their children, Jayden and
Hailey, now 8 and 4, respectively,
but found nothing that
was appropriate for and understandable
to young children.
“So, we decided to write
one of our own,” James said.
“It’s a book we wanted our
children to have.”
“B is for Biceps” uses
rhymes and illustrations to
present human anatomy to
children in a way that is fun,
educational and easy to understand,
Amy explained.
The journey from A to Z covers
proper anatomical terminology
for various muscles,
bones and other parts of
the body, and explains their
The characters in the book are inspired by James and Amy’s two children, Hailey and
Jayden. Their dog, Sadie, is also illustrated in the book.
functions and what they look
like.
“And adults can learn
from it too,” said Amy, a
Frankfort native and a Lincoln-Way
East alum. “It was
a lot of fun writing it.”
Children with strong reading
skills should be able to
read the book themselves,
though Amy acknowledged
youths may need help with
a few of the more complex
anatomical terms, such as xiphoid
process and orbicularis
oculi. For those who don’t
know, the former is a small
cartilaginous extension of
the lower sternum – feel
for the small hard bump in
the middle of the chest, just
above the abdomen – while
the latter is the muscle that
blinks the eye.
Please see Trail, 22
“B is for Biceps” is available on Amazon and
BarnesandNoble.com. Images Submitted
James and Amy Randolph co-authored “B is for Biceps”
after noticing a lack of child-friendly books about the human
anatomy. Photos by James Sanchez/22nd Century Media
The book lists body parts from A to Z with each page
describing the part’s’ function in a catchy rhyme.