Germs!: An Epic Tale on a Tiny Scale

by Martin Howard, Colin (Ill) Stimson

An imaginative and action-packed story with a strong message for children to wash their hands, featuring a special four page gatefold fold-out showing the armies lined up for battle

Our story begins with the rumble of war as Sam, a young germ, is conscripted to fight in the Germ Army. Their ultimate goal? To attack the boy in striped pyjamas who comes into the bathroom each day. When the boy in the striped pyjamas fails to wash his hands one day, the germs seize their opportunity to attack, only to be met with the friendly Antibody Army. A great battle ensues, but which side is Sam really on? This hilarious look at the germs that live with us every day and their battle to take control of our bodies features a strong message—be sure to wash your hands!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2011

Reviews

[Bloodorange · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually rate my daughter's books, but this one, the message of which is 'thou shalt wash your hands on leaving the loo', is lovely. It has the tension, the adventure, and the love story; the educational aspect doesn't take away the enjoyment; plus, I got to explain to my five-year-old what a morgenstern is.

[Fjóla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be surprised if the average ratings on this book don't go up. It's super silly, but it' should be a great read aloud. I was definitely put off by the cover, which screams out laundry detergent or toilet cleanser (the design was probably "borrowed" from Harpic), but it is pretty creative and fun, and then most of the illustrations inside the book are germ battle scenes with neutral backgrounds. Also, despite the militant and highly combative nature of the book, the language isn't all that offensive, in fact is pretty tame and pleasurable, with a very theatrical spin that gives for a wonderful read aloud. I enjoyed the text quite alot, and more than I relished in the illustrations. Illustrator Colin Stimpson actually seems to specialize in the "gruesome" ...

So, all in all a fun read. Not terribly informative, but I did get a lot of questions from my son after our reading, about germs and the "antibods".

[Yarima Morfin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Germs is an epic story about one small little germ trying to go against his whole tribe of germs. The story starts out with a boy cleaning his toilet, but one little germs survives. Now that one germs must make a decision as to whether join in the fight to contaminate the toilet again or fight against them. Join Germys fight and be a part of his adventurous and courageous story.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Germ war! Good way to get children to wash their hands after using the restroom.

[Christine Turner]

Library School Journal recommends this book for K-Gr 2.

Summary
An imaginative and action-packed story with a particularly relevant message for today - wash your hands! A great way for parents to help their children to react to the current flu pandemic. Stunning illustrations featuring hundreds of quirky characters. A special 4 page gatefold fold-out shows the armies lined up for battle.

Our story begins with the rumble of war as Sam, a young germ, is conscripted to fight in the Germ Army. Their ultimate goal? To attack the boy in striped pajamas who comes into the bathroom each day. When the boy in the striped pajamas fails to wash his hands one day, the germs seize their opportunity to attack, only to be met with the friendly Antibody Army. A great battle ensues, but which side is Sam really on? An hilarious look at the germs that live with us every day and their battle to take control of our bodies with a message - BE SURE TO WASH YOUR HANDS!



Notes
Martin Howard produces laugh-out-loud books for both children and adults. For children he has written How to Cook Children: A Grisly Recipe Book and the Witches at War! trilogy. His work for adults includes the popular Bad Dog's Diary series. Colin Stimpson is an illustrator who has worked for Steven Spielberg's Amblimation studio and for Disney Feature Animation. He is the illustrator of The Poison Diaries .