What Body Part is That?

Andy Griffiths (author)

Terry Denton (illustrator)

PanMacmillan, Australia: April 2011

ISBN: 9780330403986

Genre: graphic novel, humour

In the same spirit as What Bumosaur Is That? Griffiths and Denton have produced another Seriously-Silly-Definitely-No-Facts Included look at the human body. Well, there is an occasional fact but it's so deeply immersed in pure nonsense that it's unlikely to alert even the most reluctant student.

Very tongue-in-cheek, What Body Part Is That? sends up the DK Eyewitness factual text format, using it to present a wide variety of completely 'unscientific' data, such as, 'Thighs are nice, big, juicy upper-leg  muscles that are very good for eating if, say, you've been lost at sea for many days and you're starving.' (p78)

It's fantastic to see Denton's illustrative capacity given the opportunity to produce larger, more detailed 'nonsense diagrams' which will, amongst other things, encourage visual readers to experiment with their own drawing style. Thinking outside the square is definitely the theme of this book – and no joke is too bad, no idea too silly to include. Given their long creative partnership, it's difficult to identify where Denton's work ends and Griffith's begins – and vice versa. Perhaps, as in many a classroom, it's a case of two bright boys/men getting together and having a great deal of fun creating something that's going to tweak the nose of the conventional and give a good belly laugh to any number of children of all ages.