Review by Booklist Review
In this Korean import, a genial Bacteroides squires a nine-year-old "hotel" through her own inner digestive process and system, answering her questions while emphasizing the roles played by beneficent microbial "guests" both in converting food to nutritional elements (and poop), and in helping to fight off "bad" germs like the COVID-19 virus. A cautionary section on the dangers of indiscriminate use of antibiotics is framed as a war between scientists and ever-more-resistant bacteria, while a (nonspecific) description of what happens to a germ-free mouse when exposed to other mice underscores the importance of a healthy microcommunity. The cartoon illustrations feature smiling good bugs, leering bad ones, cutaway views of simplified gross anatomy, and fanciful scenes of germs at work. If flawed page design sometimes makes it hard to tell who is speaking, and if some pictures (like the closing view of a huge mass of poop on its way into the toilet) are more about titillation than teaching, this easily digestible overview still puts most of our body's fellow residents in a positive, rather than scary, light.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--5--The world is hyperaware of germs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but not all germs are bad. Some are much needed to help human bodies function properly and fight off bad germs. This nonfiction picture book is told from the point of view of a microbe living inside a "Good Germ Hotel" (a nine-year-old girl). The microbe teaches readers about the wonders of the human body, from head to toe. The text features colorful, cartoonish, and detailed illustrations. As an informative text, this title covers everything readers need to know about how germs and microbes work in the body. The story follows the first bite of nutrient-rich food, to the toilet, and to the end of the gut bacterium's journey. The narrative uses a question-and-answer format, which helps organize the information into manageable sections. A glossary, an index, and selected sources are included. VERDICT A good purchase for elementary collections where stories about body science are popular and/or needed.--Molly Dettmann, Norman North H.S., OK
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Germs are usually seen as the bad guys, but this book aims to introduce middle graders to the many good germs that make up the microbiome and help your body work. Reminiscent of the manga series Cells at Work, Kim, Kwon, and Kim's work uses an anthropomorphic gut bacterium as the device to take readers on a tour of the body of a young girl, the "wonderful five-star hotel" the bacterium calls home and to whom it addresses its narrative. Along the way readers learn about digestion and the ways bacteria help with the process, complete with plenty of the potty humor we would not have were it not for our body's bacterial colonizers. Beyond helping with digestion, bacteria are also shown helping our immune system ward off bad-germ "invaders"; antibiotics can help too, but the bacterium guide warns not to use them unless needed. Though the text refers to the body as a "hotel" throughout, rather disappointingly it doesn't fully develop that metaphor. There are a few minor issues on the science; it ascribes flu symptoms to the common cold, for instance. This may be partly due to the translation from Korean, but these finer points are largely inconsequential to the intended audience. In the cartoon illustrations, the microbial protagonist looks like a yellow capsule with googly eyes, a few straggles of hair, and several spindly legs. The frequent diagrams and cross sections add both whimsy and informational content. The "hotel" presents White. A welcome, kid-friendly addition to the growing selection of popular science on the microbiome. (glossary, selected sources) (Nonfiction. 6-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
