Customer Reviews

Those Mean Nasty Dirty Downright Disgusting but...Invisible Germs / Esos desagradables detestables sucios completamente asquerosos pero... invisibles ... y español) (English and Spanish Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I first heard this story from my daughter's preschool teacher, and it stuck with ME so much that I had to get it when I got my own preschool class. It does a super job of making germs real and to be avoided. My preschoolers ask me to listen to the germs screaming as they go down the drain. They remember this story for a long time! Super investment to your library!

This book gives children a concrete view of germs and what they can do; in a way children can underdstand.

This book really scared my 3 yr. old. It made germs seem scary, but also called them invisible, which made her feel insecure. We have been up with her almost every night for the past week because she is scared of the germs. It didn't help matters that she got a runny nose a few days after her preschool teacher read her class this book. Now she is convinced that an invisible germ snuck up on her and made her sick. Not a good book. I think the illustrations of scary germs, mixed with the photos of the real little girl made my daughter think that these germs could really "get her." I do not recommend this book, especially if your child is sensitive!

Be careful! This book transformed my happy, easy-going 4-year-old daughter into a bundle of anxiety. It started when my wife and I noticed a dramatic and abrupt change in her behavior. She began obsessing about germs throughout our house and tearfully insisting on washing her hands 20+ times a day, sometimes just minutes apart. She became suspicious that clean plates and fresh food were germy and worried that her toys were dirty. It didn't take long to trace it all to this book, which was read to her class at preschool. Her teacher told us that there was no subsequent classroom activity/discussion, so it was clearly the book which planted this seed of anxiety which quickly grew in her mind. Our daughter confirmed that the book was "really scary".

As I have dealt with mild OCD myself, it really pains me to see my daughter needlessly so upset. We have been working hard to undo the damage and reassure our daughter that our home is clean, she can trust us to protect her, and that she can feel safe.

The book presents a series of photo+text episodes in which a little girl her age is innocently playing with a toy only to suddenly get invisible germs on her hands which could each do something terrible to her (make her throw up etc.). Each example is followed by a fanciful color illustration of what the nasty germ might look like. I think this book was well-intentioned in its message, but from a child's perspective, the idea of getting infected by germs you can't see just from playing (while of course possible) can be really terrifying. The book does emphasize that children can protect themselves through handwashing, but there is no guidance on when it is REALLY needed (after using the toilet, coming in from outside, etc.) and it warns that even after washing, the germs will soon be BACK! Given the threat of invisible, undefeatable germs everywhere, some kids will feel the need to wash constantly.

This book is good as long as the teacher/parent uses it in the right context. Meaning, it has a scare tactic effect if you are not careful. OUTFOX recommends pairing this book with a hygiene lesson or infection control activity to show how these invisible germs can be dealt with responsibly. The last thing you want your child or students to become are over-aggressive cleaners. Use this book to teach responsibility and a positive outlook how we can get rid of the bad germs and keep the germs that are necessary. Using scare tactics are minimally effective so be careful when you use this book for your class or children!

OUTFOX
OUTFOXprevention.com

This book is an awesome tool to use with young children about the importance of washing hands. I use it in my preschool class and the kids really like it and then go about washing their hands with soap on a regular basis.

This book really helped our Daughter learn about germs and the importance of hand washing. Very good for young children to relate to.

I started reading this book to my son when he was three and it really taught him the importance hand washing. He is now four and it is still one of his favorite books to read. It is very entertaining and explains the concept in a way which is easy for preschool children to understand. Now when he comes home from daycare, as a routine, the first thing he does is wash his hands. and he knows the meaning behind it.

I'm a child care nurse consultant - I teach health & safety in the child care setting. This is my favorite book to use when teaching hand washing to pre-school through 2nd grade. It's a story the reader can ham up a little and kids really get into it. Each book has the story in English & Spanish. Great illustrations of pretend germs.

I bought this book for working with children in elementary school about handwashing. The book is good, but it is in black and white and it needs some color, so just be sure you have some other props.