Do Not lick this Book

Do Not lick this Book by Idan Ben-Barak, illustrated by Julian Frost (A&U) HB RRP $19.99   ISBN 9781760293055

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

                                                                                                                                           This is a brilliantly simple, funny, interactive picture book that introduces children to the strange, unseen world of microbes all around them by the award-winning author of Small Wonders and the animator of the insanely successful video 'Dumb Ways to Die'. It is so good it was winner of the CBCA Book of the Year, Eve Pownall Information Book Award, 2018

Min is a microbe. She is small. Very small. In fact, she’s so small you'd need to look through a microscope to see her. Or you can simply open this book and take Min on an adventure to amazing places she's never seen before - like the icy glaciers of your tooth or the twisted, tangled jungle that is your shirt.

The author Idan Ben-Barak holds a BSc in medical science, an MSc in microbiology, and a PhD in the history and philosophy of science. His first book, Small Wonders: How Microbes Rule Our World has been published around the world and won the 2010 American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru SB&F (Science Books and Films) Prize for Excellence in Science Books, Young Adult category. An excerpt from his most recent book, Why Aren't We Dead Yet? The Survivor's Guide to the Immune System, was runner-up in the 2015 Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing. Idan lives in Melbourne with his wife and two children.