Germ Zappers (Enjoy Your Cells, 2) [Paperback]

Frances R. Balkwill (Author), Mic Rolph (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Enjoy Your Cells

Enjoy Your Cells is a new series of children's books from the acclaimed creative partnership of scientist/author Fran Balkwill and illustrator Mic Rolph. The titles in the series include: Enjoy Your Cells Germ Zappers Have a Nice DNA! Gene Machines Once again, they use their unique brand of simple but scientifically accurate commentary and exuberantly colorful graphics to take young readers on an entertaining exploration of the amazing, hidden world of cells, proteins, and DNA. It's over ten years since Fran and Mic invented a new way of getting science across to children. Think what extraordinary advances have been made in biology in that time - and how often those discoveries made headlines. Stem cells, cloning, embryo transfer, emerging infections, vaccine development...here in these books are the basic facts behind the public debates. With these books, children will learn to enjoy their cells and current affairs at the same time. And they're getting information that has been written and reviewed by working scientists, so it's completely correct and up-to-date. Readers aged 7 and up will appreciate the stories' lively language and with help, even younger children will enjoy and learn from the jokes and illustrations - no expert required! This series is a must for all elementary school students and those who care about educating them to be well-informed in a world of increasingly complex health-related and environmental issues. Fran Balkwill is Professor of Cancer Biology at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the London Queen Mary School of Medicine. Mic Rolph is a graphic designer with much television and publishing experience. Together, they have created many books for children, and have won several awards, including the prestigious COPUS Junior Science Book Prize.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; 1 edition (October 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879695986
• ISBN-13: 978-0879695989
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun approach to a complex topic, November 6, 2006

By 

Mars Violet "mom of three" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Germ Zappers (Enjoy Your Cells, 2) (Paperback)

Our immune systems have so many ways to protect us from intruders that the average adult (that'd be me) would have trouble digesting all the information. Only with the right approach can authors successfully write a book intended for children on this challenging topic.

This book is on the right track. Even the title, Germ Zappers, lends excitement to the topic. The eye-pleasing colors and comic details of the illustrations make the subject approachable. The text humorously reminds children of their own experiences of feeling sick or suffering an allergic reaction. These familiar experiences ease the transition into the unfamiliar territory of neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, lymphocytes and dendritic cells (helpful pronounciation guides follow each cell name). Viruses and bacteria are explained as well as vaccines, antibiotics and antibodies. This book manages to convey the details of immune system while continually relating the science to human experiences, particularly those familiar to children.

According to my five year old, one of the highlights of the book is when spider-like viruses shoot across a school bus and proceed to 'chomp through the protecting mucus' of the lungs. His eyes bulge when we read about the immune deficient children living inside plastic bubbles with sterilized toys and sanitized food. He also enjoys hearing about why we get those pain-in-the-rear preventative shots and how vaccines helped eradicate smallpox from the world (he's impressed with the scar I have from the smallpox vaccine).

When the subject is this complex kids rely heavily on the visual cues offered in the illustrations. Unfortunately, all the different 'germ zapper' cells look like sunny side up eggs with bright blue yolks and pale blue 'whites.' The 'whites' of the dendritic cells are more star shaped which helps differentiate them but otherwise the germ zappers lack distinguishing marks. The illustration of macrophages are nearly indistinguishable from from a Natural Killer cell (curved 'yolk'), a lymphocyte or a neutrophil (globs of 'yolk'). Red lightning bolts help distinguish a striking lymphocyte from the crowd but I still find these depictions wanting (I suggest modifying the illustrations yourself, adding dark blue dots to the 'yolk' of macrophages and thin red zig zags to the 'yolk' of inactive lymphocytes, even though modification sacrifices accuracy). The title page of the book affirms suspicions that cell depiction was approached with altogether too much trepidition. It states that "...cells are gray and grainy. We have added some false color..."

If you're looking for books to help young children understand the importance of hygiene and how germs cause illness then I suggest Tissue, Please by Lisa Kopelke and Magic School Bus Inside Ralphie: A Book About Germs by Joanna Cole.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great introduction to immune system, October 12, 2009

By 

B. Walsh (Kuwait City, Kuwait) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Germ Zappers (Enjoy Your Cells, 2) (Paperback)

My almost 4 year old loves this book - he's very interested in the body and figuring out his world. This book perfectly puts things at his level. It explains all the different parts of the immune system well and also vaccines, viruses, and bacteria. he also enjoys the double meaning/language jokes after I explained them to him. I recommend this for any kid who is curious about the world they live in (isn't that every kid?). Also recommend the book "Alive" by DK publishing - fabulous pop-up book on the body. Alive: The Living, Breathing Human Body Book

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science in a Fun Package, July 8, 2008

By 

R. DuPar "Lover of Books, Nature and Many Things" (Goleta, Ca) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Germ Zappers (Enjoy Your Cells, 2) (Paperback)

Frances Balkwill has the ability to write about science without making it seem to science-y or over kids heads. Mic Rolph's pictures are fun and draw kids in to the ideas. This book explains cells, proteins, DNA, as well as some current genetic hot topics. I use these with junior high students. They are always engaged in the topic!