Germ Zappers

By Frances Balkwill

Book Overview

Grounds for Knowledge is an engaging and knowledgeable guide to CSH Laboratory's buildings both historic and new, and to the 150 species of trees that surround them. The superb color photography and detailed maps invite exploration of the newly designated Bungtown Botanical Garden. Buildings and landscapes of nearby Lab campuses in Woodbury, Lloyd Harbor, and Cold Spring Harbor are covered as well.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879696133
• ISBN13: 9780879696139
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
• Length: 31 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.3" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 7 years and up

Customer Reviews

Science in a Fun Package

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!

Fun approach to a complex topic

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.