Customer Reviews

Germs! Germs! Germs! (Hello Reader! Level 3 Science)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book not only presents a serious topic in a very humorous and creative fashion, it contains some of the absolutely best germ cartoons I have ever seen. My first grader really enjoys it and I can't stop showing it off at work. I am an Infection Control RN specialist and find that it is perfect to communicate to healthcare workers the need to always wash their hands! I am getting copies for the hospital where I work. It is a super book!

My daughter and I love this book. At 5 years old, she easily understood what this book was trying to tell her. She's 8 now and we still read it. We even use some of the terminology to remind each other to stay healthy. She'll say "Mama, you're being a 'meal skipper'". It is NOT a scary book and it is a fun way to talk about germs with your kids.

The germs illustrations presented by Steve Bjorkman are amusing, consisting of strange looking creatures in pastel colors, reminding me of characters from the television show Sponge Bob Square Pants. The hands on the girls and boys in Germs!Germs!Germs! appear oddly shaped, as noted by the way the girl is holding the pencil on the cover.

Consisting of thirty-eight pages the Germs! Germs! Germs! motto throughout the book centers on, " We're on the ground. We're in the air. We're GERMS and we live everywhere!" Although germs cannot be seen, unless through a microscope they are still strong and mean. The drawing shows these rather odd sorted creatures with one or two eyes hovering about waiting for the right opportunity to spread Germs! Germs! Germs! on anyone.

One silly illustration has a yellow germ arriving at the front door, although no mention on how germs can be found on doorknobs. Germs! Germs! Germs! is more a book about what happens when the germs enter our body and reminds the reader of how germs jump about making people sick. My seven-year old has learned from reading the book "Germs are so nasty that they make you sick with a tummy ache and a cold".

It is possible that these illustrations along with the story can accomplish quick tooth brushing skills along with the use of tissues and proper hygiene. My son will grab Germs! Germs! Germs! to explain to a visitor how their germs can spread on clothing or furniture if that person has sneezed in his presence. This copy of the book has been to his classroom a few times to share with them just how mean germs can be as well as make you worse when you are sick.

Germs! Germs! Germs! is a handy book for my son who has learned a great deal from reading and following the journey these outrageously looking germs make through the pages. This makes a good introductory book for the age group of six to eight.

This book is a good book for certain types of student and home school groups- but not for all. If some groups learn better with scare tactics then this book is recommended for you. In general it is an entertaining book but the use of scare tactics to teach hygiene principles can often have a negative effect. It really depends on the make up of the audience you will be reading this book with.

This book becomes a better read when you pair it with a hygiene lesson, contrasting book (one focused on the positive benefits of good hygiene) or infection control activity. It is not recommended to center a whole hygiene lesson around this book.

OUTFOX
OUTFOXprevention.com

This is my 3 1/2 year old daughter's favorite book. We came across it at her preschool and have bought a copy for home. It has really improved her hygiene- she has become much more conscientious about brushing her teeth and washing her hands to "get rid of the bad germs"! Cute book, I'm buying a copy for friends, too.

This book repeatedly emphasizes that germs are mean and that they are everywhere and that their sole purpose is to GET YOU. Very scary, actually. It puts them in your body, in your food, in the air and the miminally addressed topic of keeping yourself clean does not banish them. The next page just puts them all back somewhere else. It is not clear at all that handwashing, not letting other people sneeze on you, washing the floor, not leaving food overnight on the counter are effective ways to keep healthier. The emphasis is on a ton of very cute cartoony germs in multitudes. The health aspects are implied only--and poorly at that. Behaviors like nose-picking are RIDICULED. Not good for kids up to about age 10, especially if you're trying to teach health and cleanliness issues.