Germs: Mysterious Microorganisms

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-- Nardo offers the history of germ theory, carefully showing how discoveries build on previous knowledge. The lucid but occasionally wordy text explains ``useful'' germs and those that cause disease. One chapter is devoted to germ warfare and to other uses such as in sewage treatment and oil clean-up. This attractive presentation has both full-color and black-and-white illustrations--historical drawings, photographs, and easy-to-understand diagrams. Those of the microorganisms are especially sharp and clearly defined. The subjects are covered almost as fully as in books devoted to one aspect of this topic, such as Germs Make Me Sick (Knopf, 1975) by Donahue and Capellaro; The Disease Fighters (Lerner, 1987) by Aaseng; or Viruses (Watts, 1983) by Nourse, making this a good choice for small libraries.A list of further reading and an extensive index are included. --Martha Gordon, South Salem Library, NY