librarian's pick
For kids, the grosser the better Jennifer Prince Buncombe County Public Libraries
Interest in gross things is a rite of passage for many kids. Body noises and smells are of special interest during this phase of intellectual development. “The grosser the better” could be the catch-phrase. What a golden opportunity it is when educators and parents are presented with an opportunity to combine a young person’s passion for grossness with learning. Such an opportunity is found in the 80 pages of Joe Rhatigan’s new book, “Ouch!” Rhatigan is no stranger to writing stellar nonfiction for youth. Among his books is “White House Kids: The Perks, Pleasures, Problems and Pratfalls of the Presidents’ Children.”
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Rhatigan begins the book with a disclaimer that the book is not intended as a guide for diagnosis and treatment. He recommends that children leave that to doctors and parents. Still, to give the book an coat of respectability, all of the content was reviewed by a doctor. Rhatigan lays the groundwork by explaining body basics; how the body reads pain, the purpose of skin, and so on. Then with a modified Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, Rhatigan explains that the measure of pain in each subsequent health scenario will be marked with a corresponding face, be it an unperturbed straight face, a slight grimace or a red-faced holler. For each health scenario, the following are described: first response, what the doctor does, what the body does, and tips for prevention in the future.
Scenarios include things that happen to the outside of the body: getting a splinter, a blister, a bruise. Other scenarios include things that happen to the inside: catching a cold, having a fever, a stomach virus and an ear infection. The writing is informative, succinct and written in a way that is engaging and accessible to young readers. The illustrations consist of drawings by Anthony Owsley, and a variety of high-resolution photographs. The drawings are done in a cartoon style, and are amusing and informative. Many of the photographs show injuries in up-close (read gross) detail — the oozefilled blister, the speckled rash and the freeze-frame of the man in mid-sneeze. This book is available in the Buncombe County Public Libraries. To learn more, visit www.buncombecounty.org/library.
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