A review by tashrow
Do Not Lick this Book by Julian Frost, Idan Ben-Barak

5.0

Min is a microbe that lives in this book. Readers get to look at the page closer and closer, until with a micron microscope they can see the individual strands that make up the paper. Resting there, very bored indeed, is Min. The readers pick up Min on their finger and then move her to their teeth. The next page shows the surface of a tooth very, very close up with the microbes creating cavities. Min moves on, but one of the tooth microbes comes along too. This pattern continues to the reader’s shirt and then finally their belly button, each place close up and full of microbes.

Shown in such a playful way, children will enjoy the lesson on microbes without realizing they are learning science. The interactive piece of the book is also a pleasure, though it will limit using the book with a very small group or one child at a time. There are more microbial facts at the end of the book to enjoy. The illustrations are a delightful mix of images from an electron microscope and cute little microbes that are different colors and shapes from one another.

A smart choice for libraries looking for great STEM reads. Appropriate for ages 4-7.