Children’s science books: Bacteria Galore by Sunday at Four
Jonathan Eisen started something nice in his blog: a review of children’s science books. So I think I’ll follow suit, especially since my first review will combine two of Jonathan’s faves: Microbiology and Open Access. The book is “Bacteria Galore by Sunday at Four” by Mel Rosenberg, a Professor of Microbiology at Tel-Aviv University who wrote the text and Tali Niv-Dolinksy, the illustrator.
The book is Microbiology 101 for kids 3 and up. Rosenberg starts by gently disarming germophbias (if any) by showing how bacteria are basically all over the place, and how helpful they are in making some foods. Then he tells the story of their discovery, how fast they can divide to form colonies, and finally why we should brush our teeth, clean and dress wounds, and take our shots.
“You will always find bacteria in a pickle,
And in yoghurt too,
Making pickles and yoghurt tasty
Is part of what they do
And, if you please,
Bacteria help make yellow cheese.”
Rosenberg’s funny short rhymes make this book a perfect for beginning readers. Tali Niv-Dolinsky’s illustrations are woven impeccably into the text.
Click to enlarge: Bacteria Galore by Sunday at Four / Mel Rosenberg & Tali Niv-Dolinsky
Best of all, the e-version is free, and you can even listen to Rosenberg read it (but you don’t have to, if you want to read it out loud to your favorite rugrat):
http://www.meltells.com/BacteriaGalore.asp
Unfortunately, I could not find the paper version in any of the Amazons, European or North American, and the Shop link on the site is still under construction. This page provides contact information for purchase.
Thanks for the review. I hope that children everywhere will enjoy my children’s books and ‘learn” while they read! There are many other stories on melltells.com and I am always writing more.
Hi, Thought you might be interested in taking a look at our science picture books for kids – all with high quality illustrations and in a fiction-like format:
Jig,Jiggle, Sneeze: A tale of viral infection and contagion
Instructions for ME: A unique book about DNA, where it is housed and what it does
My Magic World: A book about the mysterious origins for the conditions of life on Earth