School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

K-Gr 3— For readers who ever wondered if germs were good for anything—they are! Barton carefully explains the difference between microbes and pathogens, and between viruses and bacterium in the latest entry in her entertaining "I'm Trying to Love" series. She explains how humans are absolutely covered with microorganisms: some aid bodies with digestion, while others protect against infections on skin. Other microorganisms create foods that humans love, such as cheese and mushrooms. Microorganisms can also cause people to react in ways that are uncomfortable but useful, such as vomiting or sneezing. Brightly colored illustrations help readers understand advanced scientific concepts but are also funny and delightful. The book includes tips for avoiding harmful or pathogenic kinds of microbes. The illustrations also show what microbes really look like; these are cartoonish but realistic enough to demonstrate how scientists can determine, via microscope, what kind of a microbe is at work in a body. VERDICT This terrific book entertains, informs, and is extremely topical. It's a first purchase for any collection.— Debbie Tanner

ALA Booklist (Thu Dec 28 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Barton, whose "I'm Trying to Love . . . " series has helped children replace their qualms about spiders, math, rocks, and garbage with useful knowledge, now turns to a topic that people literally can't live without: germs. After differentiating microbes, which can be beneficial or harmful, from pathogens, which cause sickness, she breaks down microbes into four categories cteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi d briefly discusses each one, "even the gross ones." For children who feel vulnerable in a world filled with unseen germs, she reminds listeners that they have a powerful tool, or, as she puts it, a superpower: handwashing, which rids their hands of microorganisms in the time it takes to sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice. Many facts are revealed through a conversation between the narrator and a friendly microbe. The tone is light, and the clever dialogue is sometimes amusing as well as helpful. Barton's lively ink-and-watercolor illustrations add to the fun while creating lively, visual representations of information. A worthwhile addition to libraries and a potentially helpful resource for germophobic kids.

Kirkus Reviews

An invitation to meet our microbial friends and foes.Cleverly urging viewers to treat her pages like pinchable screens to make pretend transitions between the micro and macro worlds, Barton continues the series that began with I'm Trying To Love Spiders (2015). In a rollicking exchange between an unseen narrator and a talking germ about the differences between (benign) microbes and (less benign) pathogens, the author highlights the importance of good hygiene and, when necessary, using medicines. Googly-eyed specimens of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoans that are "can't-be-seen-with-your-regular-eyeballs small" parade past in cartoon scenes that alternate with views of a diversely hued and dressed band of children looking generally miserable or uncomfortable. The specimens "Can't be pronounced either!"-though for anyone willing to give it a go, Barton does provide scientific names with phonetic hints. The message that we share our bodies as well as our world with germs comes through loud and clear. Better yet, following a closing appeal to readers to use their hand-washing "superpower," the author supplies a nicely targeted reading list for those who want to know more. She has a more generally applicable insight to share, too: "Sometimes just appreciating how different something is can make you love it!"An effervescent introduction to the fungus (etc.) among us. (Informational picture book. 5-8)