Do Not Lick This Book!

Reviewed by: Sarah Cropley - Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 13, 2018

Review

Do not lick this book! Right from the start, this mouthwatering book draws audiences in with a bright yellow cover and a directive that is the enemy of many of the library's youngest of patrons. Inside lies a smorgasbord of germ-y friends (adorable cartoons drawn by Julian Frost over real scanning electron microscope photos by Linnea Rundgren). Ben-Barak treats readers to a tour of some of the germ-filled places on their bodies in terms even the most microscopic listener will understand. The last page contains further information about each of the four microbes depicted, in case the prior pages didn't sate readers' appetites. Best shared one-on-one where kids can get their hands (and germs) into this book, but librarians will struggle to keep it on preschool and elementary shelves. Delicious.

Overall Book Score: very good