I feel better with a frog in my throat: History’s strangest cures by Carlyn Beccia

In quiz format, Beccia introduces us to the weird, wacky, and just plain gross medical cures throughout history. The book shows cures for a disease, for example “History’s strangest cures for Sore throats” gives “A frog down the throat/A necklace made of earthworms/A dirty sock tied around the neck” then the reader turns the pages to see more information on which cures actually worked and why people thought they would.

Beccia’s medieval caricatures are the perfect fit for her gruesome text, showing reluctant children and adults trying out the often disgusting cures given to them. An author’s note explains the difficulty of tracking the exact origin of many old cures and gives a selected bibliography.

Verdict: A fascinating, funny, and icky book. Packed full of well-organized information, this will be a hit with kids who like history and the gross and weird. Beccia’s Raucous Royals has been a huge hit at my library, even for kids who aren’t history buffs, and this title will be even more popular. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 978-0547225708; Published October 2010 by Houghton Mifflin; Purchased for the library

Revisited: This is still in print, although my vendor (Baker & Taylor) says it is on backorder. Beccia followed it up with several more deliciously ghoulish and gross titles, but this remains a favorite at my library and I still recommend purchasing it as a replacement or fill-in.