It’s thought that we have about 100,000,000,000,000 bacteria (that’s 100 trillion) just in our intestines! If you shared out all of the bacteria living in your guts among everyone in the world, each person would get about 15 000. So, if you’re stuck on what to give your family and friends next festive season, why not give the gift of bacteria?
There’s no doubting that kids like reading about gross subjects, and the title of this offering is certain to attract them on that basis. There’s a Worm on My Eyeball takes a detailed look at the germs, works and bacteria that live in and on the human body, from the harmless ones which live inside every person, to the more fearsome ones which can cause illness and even death.
Author Dr Adam Taor doesn’t spare the reader – he gives plenty of gruesome details of worms that crawl across eyeballs, bugs that poo toxic germs onto your body and nasty deaths from gruesome bacteria. He does this, however, with plenty of humour and a chatty voice that speaks directly to kids in their language. There are also humorous illustrations by Douglas Holgate, lots of useful text boxes and other helpful aids like pronunciation guides to help kids say the names of the different bugs.
This is sure to appeal to kids age 9 and up. My boys were fascinated by the title and the cover illustration, which shows a large, realistic looking eye, with a fierce red cartoon-style worm.
Great for private reading and for primary school libraries.
There’s a Worm on My Eyeball!, by Dr Adam Taor, illustrated by Douglas Holgate
Random House, 2007