On a recent business trip I began to peruse this book and could not put it down. It is easy to read and the resources are incredible. This book is focused on teachers who are or anticipate teaching health in elementary, middle, and/or secondary school. It is 606 pages in length and is written in an easy to read and understand style/format. It succeeds splendidly in its purpose of preparing elementary, middle, and/or secondary school teachers to educate their students about the most pertinent health issues facing our nation today. In addition to providing content driven information, the authors have developed a wonderful training manual that not only explains programs and concepts but that also provides easy to follow instructions and resources for educating others.

An excellent resource for health teachers this book explains clearly what the comprehensive school health program is, its main purpose, and how to implement such a program. Meeks & Heit have also done an outstanding job presenting the national health education standards and then providing guidance as well as resource materials in order for a teacher to achieve those standards in his/her classroom. The resources that are provide are specific to certain grade levels, so this is a must have work for any K-12 health teacher.

The "umbrella" concept that is described and graphically displayed in the book is helpful in organizing and visualizing the health issues that are most important to students in elementary, middle, and secondary levels. A teacher, using these resources, will be able to explain specific health issues like physical inactivity, nutrition, and tobacco consumption and then demonstrate how they can be inter-related. Also, chapter 3 discusses mental and emotional health, communication, family and social health, growth and development, drugs, nutrition, physical activity, diseases, injury prevention and a whole lot more.

The authors then follow with teaching strategies, a health resources guide, and a health education curriculum guide. Each of these sections provides grade level specific information. The repetition of some concepts and language throughout the book can seem a little overdone, but it helps to emphasize what the learner needs to understand.

Overall, I strongly recommend this book to any school health education teacher, you should have it on your shelf. I give it a 5 star rating (out of 5 stars).

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