Germs

PreS-Gr 2-These three titles all begin with a rhyming section that aims to support new readers with humorous illustrations and a limited number of words per page. Though the name of the series suggests that some science education will be provided on the given subjects, the books have scant facts or are even misleading. For example, the creepy crawlies represented in Germs are delightfully comical to look at, but some young children will walk away actually believing that germs do have "eyes, feet, and tails." Each book offers a word list to reinforce vocabulary, and the age-appropriate activities in back include songs, counting exercises, fill-in-the-blanks, and picture puzzles. Combining fiction and nonfiction in a single book is a popular trend, and the introductory verses in these titles are indeed engaging. However, the lack of real information makes these titles additional purchases for most libraries.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.