The heart History, science and lots of love

This fun STEAM crossover considers multiple aspects of all kinds of hearts. First comes a review of the human circulatory system, followed by a section on animal hearts, from the biggest (a blue whale's heart is about the size of a refrigerator) to the most (octopuses have three) to none (jellyfish and sponges get along fine without them). There are references to myths and legends (Egyptian, Aztec, Arab, and Sufi traditions), modern applications (courtly love, romanticism), a review of how heart symbols and shapes have evolved over time (the Etruscans to Saint Valentine to hippies), famous or notorious couples, idioms across languages, and popular cultural references (Keith Haring, John Cage). Pages consist of colorful pink and red pastel spreads featuring brief blocks of text supported by flowcharts and other accessible graphics (one scale compares human organ weights to fruit: a kidney equals a plum, a heart a grapefruit). These pleasingly busy vistas convey considerable amounts of information; both curious browsers and the hopelessly romantic will be enthralled.