Germs Make Me Sick! (Let's Read-And-Find-Out Science

Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2

by Melvin A. Berger, Marylin Hafner (Illustrator)

Bacteria and viruses have never looked so good! As packed with wit and good humor as with charts and diagrams, this book is the best explanation of how your body fights germs.

Genres: Science, Health, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Kids, Bodies

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1985

Reviews

[Allison Reilly]

Summary

This book is about a child who gets ill. Throughout the book, it takes us on the journey of whether or not it is a virus or a bacteria. It also talks about what the difference is, how they affect your body, and the different physical characteristics. It also goes into different medicines of how to cure the illness or help ease the symptoms. The book ends with tips on how to stay healthy.

Evaluation

I thought this book had a lot of great, child friendly information on bacteria and viruses! This book would attract kids to it because of the illustrations. They are drawn rather than photographs. It also goes the journey with a child who seems to be about eight-years-old. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about germs.

Teaching Point

I used this book as the hook in my text set. As a class, we have been learning about helpful and harmful microorganisms. My comprehension strategy I was teaching was about metacognition. I used this book to model my thinking throughout the read-aloud. I would place a sticky note on pages where I needed to go back to in order to make a head start on my research. This is a great book to use when teaching metacognition.

[Guangmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the book since it is all related to our daily lives. The books talks about a boy who is sick and cannot go to school due to catch a cold. Because of the sick boy, the story spread out to show us how germs make people sick differently between bacteria and viruses. In the book, it give some examples with pictures to let us know about bacteria and viruses are not the same in shapes, functions, and influences. And it also show us a common sense is that germs exist everywhere around us, which we can touch or connect with germs. However, not all the germs are harmful to us and even our body can kill the bad germs by antibodies, which are a kind of chemical shown up when they are needed. I like the book also because it can help children to understand what would make them sick and it’s necessary for a sick person to see a doctor without fear.
I think children will be able to understand why they get sick and talk about their experiences with seeing a doctor. While reading it aloud, I would emphasize the last two pages of the book as they concentrate on the tips that show how to be strong and have a good health in order to get away from germs. I will also emphasize the types of bacteria and viruses with the pictures.

[Jeffrey Yasskin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to what germs are, but doesn't include instructions like "cough into your arm" to avoid spreading germs.

[Adrianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book a while ago from one of the classic book dealers I follow on IG.... Little kids love doing gross things like licking everything and anything.... considering all things coronavirus I thought this was quite applicable!

[Victoria Buseck · Rating 4 out of 5]

When searching for an informational children’s book to read and review, I was attracted to this book because children understanding the importance of germs is crucial. Children in my class are constantly getting sick, as most children do, and knowing ways to keep yourself as healthy as you can is a very important lesson for children to learn as young as possible. “Germs Make Me Sick!” teaches children the importance of staying healthy, and how you can do so, and simplifies the process to a child’s level of understanding.

One aspect of this book I particularly liked were the illustrations and different facial expressions of the characters, which matched well with the text. For a child who hasn’t fully learned to read yet and is independently reading this story, the vivid illustrations would allow them to still have a good idea of what is going on in the story. I also liked the abundance of thought bubbles incorporated into the illustrations!

This book teaches in layman's terms what germs, viruses, antibodies and bacteria are. It additionally illustrates pictures of multiple different kinds of germs, and explains how they both get in and stay out of your body. Furthermore, I really liked how at the end of this book there is a list for children titled “RULES FOR GOOD HEALTH.” While the whole book explains what you can do to be healthy, this was a great way to sum it up and have all of this information in one easy place to look at.

In conclusion, this book was extremely informative on teaching children the amazing things their bodies do to stay healthy, and how they can help their bodies continue to stay healthy. “Germs Make Me Sick!” could be used as a read aloud, or for individual reading. I would love to have a science center in my first grade classroom one day; and I would definitely have this book be part of my science book collection for my students to be able to read during center time.

[Taylor Galloway · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book brings readers through the story of a little boy who is sick. This book would be a great addition to a classroom library for many reasons such as: the multitude of vocabulary and the fact it could be used in a lesson about viruses and bacteria. Personally, I have already used this book in a vocabulary lesson, and it worked perfectly due to the story having words like germs, bacteria, viruses, and antibodies. Along with the text to help figure out the definition of these unfamiliar words the story is accompanied by illustrations that students can use to help figure out the meaning of the words for instance in the story there are illustrations showing how bacteria and viruses look different in shape and size. Overall, this is a great picture book to incorporate into a science lesson.

[Claire]

This book is probably best to be read with an adult so kids can ask questions and better understand germs/bacteria.
This book is all about germs and how to protect ourselves and others from getting sick. This is great to read to a class and discuss good hygiene habits to help us not spread or contract germs that can make us sick! I like that there’s science incorporated in this book to educate kiddos about germs and our amazing bodies! This would be great to incorporate in a science lesson as well because of this. The pictures are cute but educational, great for helping kids understand the information explained in the book.

[Shazza Maddog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for my grandnieces so of course I am going to read it before giving it to them. I was excited to see it's a Reading Rainbow book - while I was too old for Reading Rainbow when it came out, I have always been thrilled to see Reading Rainbow books in the wild.

This book follows "you" as you wake up in the morning to realize you're not feeling well. "I must've caught a germ", you say. The book then goes into explanation about germs and how they can enter your body as well as what your body does to protect your system from the germs. Everything is put into easy-to-understand words.

A great little science book on germs.

[Tabbitha Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a quick read great for you and your little ones when it comes to talking about viruses and bacteria. Roma Gans, Professor Emeritus if Childhood Education states that, "Children want to be up-to-date. As children read or are read to they feel themselves stretch in importance." Science books like this one are designed to help them acquire that feeling. "This book presents basic science information, a written with an understanding of how children think, are brief enough for young children to cope with them, and are long enough to challenge them." #letsreadandfindoutsciencebook

[Neona Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Germs make me sick is a story that explain what germs is. The story explains how germs may look and where they are. The story tells how germs are everywhere and explain the good germs and mad germs. The story also explain how you can get sick from germs. I would recommend this book for teachers and parents who are looking to teach children about germs. I believe this is a great book for children of the ages 3-8.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a parent I really enjoy this book as it helps to teach what germs are to young kids. I love the illustrations. This book is really good to introduce the concept of germs to preschoolers. Then to be able to go above that and teach them how to wash their hands correctly and cover their cough. I really enjoyed reading this book to Cassie and she seemed to enjoy learning about germs. I can't wait to teach her more about it. I highly recommend checking this book out.

[Chiquita wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today, we are experiencing a different kind of disease and learning how to distance ourselves from society. This book goes to show how children can learn how to stay safe and healthy. It's about how to deal with bacteria and how to take care of yourself before or during feeling ill. How germs work and how we become sick when we don’t properly clean and eat healthily.

[Becca Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about germs. It talks about what happens when you do no cover your cough or sneeze. you will get sick from not being careful with what you do. You do not want to get other people sick either. It also talks about facts about germs in general, such as what they look like. Our body is able to fight some germs, so we do not always get sick from them either.

[Leticia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great introduction to germs and how we get sick for the littles. Slightly too detailed for my almost 5yo but she still folllowed along and understood the overall concept of virus vs bacteria and how our body fights them so we don't get sick with every germ we encounter. I think the details and science would be better picked up by a 7 or 8yo.

[Andrea L’Ecuyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book at describing germs and sickness. The book is written in forms that a elementary child would be able to understand. The illustrations are also very good at adding details and information that is needed when reading the text.

[Shamaa Farah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very informative for children to learn about the spread of sicknesses. They can also learn the difference between virtual infections and bacterial infections and how to avoid and treat them. It emphasizes protecting yourself and staying clean and germ free to ensure good health. Great book that every child should read to learn about the importance of hygiene and protecting yourself!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technically we watched this book on reading rainbow. Had we not, my children would not have stayed attentive. It’s quite long for a child’s book and it got very detailed on the kinds of germs. Thought it was appropriate since we were all sick.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful introduction for kids to germs. It is not an exhaustive study of them, but rather, it emphasizes the importance of good habits while making distinctions between viruses and bacteria. Also mentioned: not all germs will lead to illness, thanks to our body systems.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fun take on showing the importance of staying healthy and avoiding harmful germs. It talks about how our bodies protect us from germs, but we have to help our bodies by staying healthy and having good hygiene.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our body is doing more to defend us from germs than we realize. One should feel a little more healthy after reading this story about our amazing defenses against viruses and bacteria.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book to read with adults on the autism spectrum or I/DD when teaching daily living skills.

[Rose Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informational. Good book for introducing kids to concepts about germs and good health habits. Very base level information.

[Alexis Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informative and it helped my daughter understand how people get sick and why.

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Luis Miguel Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good overview for young readers.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but very long.

[Stephen Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for young people to read or have read to them, especially now with both the flu and COVID-19 in our lives.

[Synthia Salomon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter is obsessed with learning about germs and bacteria at age 4. She has a lot of questions. This was helpful. I love the illustrations as well.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We found this series very interesting.

[Evelyn Slinkard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evelyn pooped while we were reading this one.