Katie Marsico - I Get Hungry

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.cherrylakepublishing.com

Content Adviser: Lisa K. Militello, PhD, MPH, CPNP, The Ohio State University
Reading Adviser: Marla Conn, ReadAbility, Inc.

Photo Credits: bonzodog/Shutterstock Images, cover, 1, 13; Samuel Borges Photography/
Shutterstock Images, cover, 1, 15; rmnoa357/Shutterstock Images, cover, 1, 19; Monkey Business
Images/Shutterstock Images, cover, 1, 5, 13, 17, 19; NADKI/Shutterstock Images, cover, 1, 21;
vita khorzhevska/Shutterstock Images, 7; 3drenderings/Shutterstock Images, 9; Gladskikh Tatiana/
Shutterstock Images, 11; Olga Rosi/Shutterstock Images, 15;

Copyright 2015 by Cherry Lake Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means
without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Marsico, Katie, 1980
I get hungry / by Katie Marsico.
pages cm. -- (Tell me why)
Young children are naturally curious about themselves. Tell Me Why I Get Hungry offers answers to
their most compelling questions about their rumbling tummy. Age-appropriate explanations and
appealing photos encourage readers to continue their quest for knowledge. Additional text features and
search tools, including a glossary and an index, help students locate information and learn new words.
Provided by publisher.
Audience: Ages 6-10.
Audience: Grades K to Grade 3.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-63188-994-3 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-63362-072-8 (pdf) -- ISBN
978-1-63362-033-9 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-63362-111-4 (ebook) 1.
Children--Nutrition--Juvenile literature. I. Title.
RJ206.M2792 2015613.2083--dc23
ISBN-13: 978-1-68444-466-3 (e-book)
2014031779

Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Please visit www.p21.org for more information.

Printed in the United States of America
Corporate Graphics
Synchred Read-Along Version by:
Triangle Interactive LLC
PO Box 573
Prior Lake, MN 55372

Table of Contents

Is Dinner Done Yet?

Whens dinner going to be ready? Thats
what Andre keeps wondering. He is trying
to do his homework at the kitchen table.
But its hard to focus on math. His stomach
is achy and growling.

Andre ate a big lunch at school. So why
is he getting hungry now? Andre decides to
ask his dad right after he finds out how
much longer their pasta needs to cook!

We often feel hungry when we havent eaten in a while.

Andres dad says that hunger is the
bodys reaction to its need for food. He
explains that this is different from appetite.
Appetite makes people want to eat certain
foods that look, smell, or taste good.
Hunger is about the body needing food for
nutrients . Living things rely on nutrients
to grow and stay healthy.

We eat dessert to satisfy our appetite for sweets.

A persons digestive system breaks
down food into nutrients and waste. It is
made up of organs such as the stomach and
intestines . When people are hungry, they
sometimes experience hunger pangs in these
parts of their body.

A hunger pang is a feeling of mild
discomfort. Tiredness, dizziness, and mood
changes are other signs of hunger. So are
groaning or grumbling noises that sound
like theyre coming from your stomach.

Look!

Look at this
picture of the
human digestive
system. Do you
see the stomach
and intestines?

You may have felt hunger pangs in your digestive system.

Sending Signals

Beep! The oven timer signals that dinner
is ready. Andre jokes that his stomach is
definitely sending him a signal, too! But Dad
says that hunger involves far more than his
digestive system.

Hunger has its beginnings in the brain.
Messages are sent to the brain from the
body. These messages reveal how the body
will use the food. They also contain
information about how full the stomach
and intestines are.

Your brain and stomach let you know when its time to eat.

The brain uses these details to create
signals that travel back to the digestive
system. In turn, muscles in the stomach
and intestines begin to contract, or squeeze.
When the stomach and intestines are
full, this squeezing keeps food moving
throughout the body. When theyre empty,
however, such contractions create
hunger pangs.

Ask Questions!

How do your
brain and
digestive system
work together
to let you know
when youre full?
Ask your family
doctor!

A healthy snack can help keep you from getting too
hungry between meals.

A Silent Stomach

Ah, what a delicious dinner! Once
he starts eating, Andre notices that his
stomach stops rumbling. Why did it
growl in the first place?

Dad surprises Andre by saying that a
grumbling stomach isnt always a sign of