Plagues, Pox, and Pestilence

Gr 3–6—From end pages featuring eyeballs to rat scientist Professor Ratticus and his insect guides, it is the cartoons that will attract kids to this book. Pithy chapter heads, a colorful, if busy, layout, and a smattering of sensational medical photos will also pique their interest. That the Courier Typewriter font appearing in various configurations around the page is difficult to read probably won't matter. There is a Mad Magazine look to this book and that, paired with the sometimes gross subject matter, is sure to entice. Therefore, the quality of the information, however piecemeal, becomes significant. The author offers a brief history of important medical breakthroughs and discusses the continued fight against infectious disease. The simplicity of explanations is well summed up by the definition of reproduction in the glossary: "The way that living things create more of themselves." Germ warfare has a broader meaning when "history's worst offenders" look like evil aliens. Crises such as the Black Death, the Influenza of 1918, cholera, smallpox, TB, ergot, and mad cow disease demonstrate the motivation for medical breakthroughs from inventing the microscope to discovering how disease spreads. Significant medical pioneers such as Louis Pasteur, Ferdinand Cohn, and Edward Jenner get a mention along with ideas related to germ theory, microbiology, and immunization. While this book should be paired with others for a broader understanding, it is a great resource to spark interest.—Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library