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2003
finalists.

2003 Hackmatack

Children's Choice Book Award/Prix littéraire - le choix de jeunes

Just before lunch your stomach gurgles. You shift, it growls. You squirm, it roars! Your digestive system is certainly trying to tell you something - but why, and how, does it make those remarkable sounds?

Discover what causes those noisy rumbles, what food is made of, how your body breaks it down, why you have cravings, how sight and smell affect what you taste and many more incredible, edible facts to digest.

So, what's eating you? Grab an apple to quiet the roar - then follow the path it takes in your body as it gets converted from food into fuel.

Did you know?

• Your small intestine can measure up to 7 m (23 ft) long.
• You use energy even when you are asleep - 65 calories an hour, in fact.
• France's Michel Lotito (a.k.a. Mr. Eat Everything) eats bicycles, chandeliers, wooden coffins and light airplanes for a living!

Diane Swanson is an award-winning writer who has published over 40 books for children. Originally from Alberta, he now resides in Victoria, British Columbia. Writing this book gave Diane an excuse to eat and call it "research."

Rose Cowles has won awards for both illustration and design, including a Governor General's Award nomination in 2000. Rose resides in Victoria, British Columbia, with her husband, Jeremy, daughter, Georgia, and black Lab, Josie.

Suggested Activities

• Make a 'Hiking Snack' from raisins, cereal, chocolate chips and peanuts.
• Do a blindfolded taste test with various foods. Can you tell what it is? Now tast it without smelling.
• Investigate your own uvula with a hand mirror and a bright light.
• See book for ideas like Wacky Dinner on page 39.
• Others listed in index under activities on page 40.