Germs Up Close

Have you ever seen a germ up close? Really, really close? Award-winning science writer Sara Levine introduces readers to a variety of viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi that can make people sick―including SARS-CoV-2, E. coli, and ringworm. Micrographs and illustrations show extremely close-up views of the germs that are at once incredible and a little gross.

The book concludes with tips for staying healthy as well as information about the immune system, vaccines, and medicines. It gives readers accessible, up-to-date scientific information presented in a way that emphasizes curiosity rather than fear.

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Germs Up Close, by Sara Levine, April 2021, ISBN 9781728424088, is a comprehensive teaching tool for grades pre-K–4 to explain what the word germ really means. With some gross-out fun, this book features dramatic micrographs and illustrations that show close-up views of bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The book concludes with tips for staying healthy, as well as information about the immune system and vaccines.—School Library Journal

Meet the strangers within us: the types of bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses that sometimes cause illnesses, though other types are beneficial to people. After a paragraph introducing each category of germs, the presentation spotlights one after another with a pithy summary of its characteristics as well as an illustration. Viruses are described as “just tiny bundles of instructions, called DNA or RNA, wrapped in a coat of protein.” The adjacent, greatly enlarged image features the virus that causes rabies. Throughout the book, illustrations include a few photos of people, some labeled diagrams, and many highly magnified, surprisingly colorful images of germs, including coronavirus. The book’s final section discusses the immune system, explains vaccines, and encourages preventive practices such as hand washing and coughing into elbows rather than hands. An unusual addition to the back matter is a list of 11 occupations involving germs, from epidemiologist to microbiologist to veterinarian. The latter is Levine’s profession when she’s not writing engaging children’s science books, such as Flower Talk (2019), Tooth by Tooth (2016), and this timely volume.— Booklist