Do Not LICK This Book…I repeat Do Not LICK This Book!

Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak
Illustrated by Julian Frost
Published by Allen & Unwin
Date: 26 April 2017
RRP $19.99

I have never really thought about microbes, but the authors have and I found what they had to share about these about the small, unseen things very interesting and done so in a fun way.

In this book, Min the microbe (who is as small as a dot), takes you on an adventure looking at microbes and everyday things very very close up (microscopic). The microscope images by Linnea Rundgren are of everyday things we come in contact with such as paper, teeth and skin, which is completely fascinating.

The book only gets more interesting, in the microscopic picture of the teeth the microbes have speech bubbles that talk about what they are doing such as digging cavities. This hands on book encourages the reader to pick up the microbe on their finger  and take it to the next page, picking up more microbes as you go.

What I love about this book as that the author has made this fun and interesting for children (and this adult)! Each page takes you on a new scientific journey, and following Min and his friends makes it all that bit easier to understand. The authors have also managed to put some humor into the book, with Min and friends saying little quips such as “What’s a book?” and “Hey kid, brush your teeth less.”.

This book is fun from beginning to end, I love how authors and scientists are making science fun.  When I was a child, I wish we had such engaging and readily available STEM books to introduce us to science at a young age.  At the end of the book there is added information of what microbes really look like…and unfortunately spoiler alert, they don’t really talk.

I highly recommend this book for your children, school libraries and the non fiction section of public libraries.  It’s informative and engaging and with a title like Do Not LICK This Book, how can you resist opening it.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.