"Hey! You. Yeah, you, the kid reading this book. How well do you wash your hands?"
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Billy and the Angry Germs by Len Lucarelli Trafford Publishing
book review by Jana McBurney-Lin
Young Billy doesn't like to wash his hands. It's time-consuming, boring, and besides his hands don't even look dirty. As a result, a multitude of germs flourish. These aren't just any old germs, but vividly-illustrated ones with personalities and cute dialogue. "You haven't lived until you've strepped a throat," quips one. "One time I got a kid sick in only six hours," bragged another. These funny-looking red, green and yellow germs attack Billy, landing in his throat and making it sore, living in his nose and making it runny, wandering into his stomach and making him feel bad. Billy wonders why he doesn't feel well. His mother explains that it's probably because Billy didn't wash his hands, and Billy agrees. The doctor gives Billy medicine to chase the germs away, but Billy doesn't feel bette, and so he rests in bed and drinks chicken soup. After all of this, he decides washing his hands is a good idea. The angry germs have to find somewhere else to go.
Lucarelli's debut children's book has simple but fun illustrations. The story starts out believably enough—what kid wants to waste precious play time washing hands? However, how many mother's when faced with sick children say, "Oh, it must be because you didn’t wash your hands?" How many children readily agree? While sicknesses can be caused many ways aside from dirty hands, this story is a good way to teach children how to prevent some illnesses in a fun, easy-to-understand manner.