A Big Book about Really Small Things

A couple weeks ago I reviewed a book about infinity. This week I focus on something a lot smaller - something we can get our hands on (if we want to).

Micro Mania: A Really Close-Up Look at Bacteria, Bedbugs, & the Zillions of Other Gross Little Creatures That Live In, On & All Around You!

By Jordan D. Brown

80 pages, ages 9 and up

Imagine Publishing, 2011

“Try not to panic,” writes Jordan Brown, “but there are billions of tiny creatures crawling all over your skin.” And that’s just outside your body; trillions more of these itty-bitty things – called microbes – live inside your body.

What does that mean? First: you’re never alone. Second: that bacteria, protozoans, viruses, yeasts and other tiny creatures play a vital role in our environment. They break down dead plants and animals, help bread rise, and gobble oil spills. But they can also cause diseases and some, in particular fleas and bed bugs, can be very itchy.

Micro Mania is a big book about very small things. Brown discusses pet pests, creatures in the kitchen, germy sponges, and even the tiny tardigrades that survived a recent trip into space. He also mentions nano-robots that could, in the future, help repair human cells or explore toxic environments. This book is chock-full of great close-up photos, things to try (such as making a plankton net) and informative sidebars, such as how to avoid lyme-disease causing ticks.

For more science resources check out STEM Friday.