Author(s): Jordan D. Brown

Children's Reference

A HUGE look at a very small, very amazing world! Here's a big treat for every kid who loves the squirmy, icky, buggy, and the generally gross. Sensationally designed, with eye-opening, jaw-dropping photography, MICROMANIA takes a close-up look at a world that's mostly invisible to us. It's an amazing universe that comes into astonishingly large-scale focus on these spectacular pages--which showcase everything from luminescent furry green bacteria and flowerlike virus cells to maggots, mold, and more. But this is more than just a collection of mind-blowing images; it's solid science that encourages children's natural curiosity. They'll find out about the great scientists who discovered the existence of microbes, see how bacteria travel and reproduce, peek at some of the insects that make themselves at home in our kitchens, bathrooms, and bodies, and learn why some germs are good and others make us ill--and what we can do to stay healthy. By the time they've finished taking this voyage through nature's miniature universe, kids will fully understand why even the tiniest of creatures--from foot fungus and salmonella to blood-sucking bugs and organisms squiggling in a pond near you--can have a really big impact on our lives. Sidebars throughout go into depth on a variety of entertaining topics, including flea circuses and whether or not dogs or humans have cleaner mouths. Plus, there are really cool hands on activities for extra fun!