Taking No Shortcuts

Bits of humor, Macaulay says, get people interested and let them know there's some fun to be had here. Remember the dancing muscle fibers? But he doesn't take shortcuts when it comes to describing the complicated processes that keep a body working and alive. One look at a page full of his spider-webby neurons — your brain cells — will tell you that.

Another page — describing the cells inside pancreatic islets — envisions them as part of an industrial park that manufactures hormones and then pours them into a capillary. Like puzzle pieces, and flow by, on their way to the liver.

Because the books are illustrated, some people think Macaulay writes children's books. But look inside and they don't seem like typical kids' books. So what gives? Macaulay is happy to appeal to both kids and adults. In fact, he says he approaches them the same way. When he talks to groups about his books, he gives the same talk whether the audience is full of kids or grownups.

"If I do this right, I'll get them excited about it," he said.

He likes that kids have a forceful curiosity — something people say Macaulay has, too. Ask the question that pops in your head, he says, and don't stop until you understand. One girl recently followed this principle, asking him, "Does pee and poop come out of the same place?"

It's a good question and it deserves an answer, which happens to be no, Macaulay said. Pee flows through the and poop is the end of the line for the

He can think of two big reasons to learn about the body: The first is that if something goes wrong, you'll be better able to understand it, and hopefully get it fixed. The second is pure enjoyment. It's a missed opportunity to be walking around inside this work of art, this feat of engineering, and not appreciate it.

"It's almost incomprehensible," he said. "The more you know, the more impressed you are."