Monday, October 18, 2021

Is there life on your nose? Meet the microbes by Christian Borstlap

  The answer, of course, is yes! This quirky book, reminiscent of Do not lick this book: It's full of germs introduces young readers and listeners to the microscopic world of microbes.

Fuzzy, colorful illustrations show an artist's vision of cartoon creatures in all shapes and colors, the tiny microbes that inhabit the world around us. Pictures of people, images of giant containers, and even the words are made up of fuzzy dots representing microbes.

Readers will learn about the preponderance of microbes around the globe and in everything from the food we eat to our skin. The many uses of bacteria are shown from the disintegration of oil and plastics to the digestive process and beyond.

Each illustrated spread is shown in a smaller thumbnail version in the back with more in-depth information about the concept presented on that page. For example, an image of a person, composed of fuzzy dots and accompanied by the text "Microbes are everywhere. They live on our bodies and everywhere else in the world." is shown in miniature with a longer explanation comparing the habitats of animals to that of microbes around the world.

There are no sources or back matter and some of the explanations are oddly worded or confusing, probably due to an awkward translation. While I would not recommend this be your only source on microbes for young children, it would work well paired with A garden in your belly and DK's series, Bacteria, DNA and more.

Verdict: An additional purchase if you have a lot of kids interested in microbes, biology, or science. This would also make a fun read-aloud in a classroom or storytime focused on microbes.

ISBN: 9783791374970; Published September 2021 by Prestel; Review copy provided by publisher

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