Title: The Germ Academy
Author: Rea Malhotra Mukhtyar
Illustrator: Shahena Zaveri
Publisher: Harper Collins
Type: Paperback
Age group: 3+ years
As a toddler parent, I’ve struggled with explaining the Covid-19 pandemic to my 4 year old. Why does he have to be locked up inside the house? Why does he have to wear a mask? Why does he have to keep washing his hands? You obviously cannot tell a toddler that there is a mysterious virus out there, and that all the doctors in the world are struggling to contain its impacts. The book ‘The Germ Academy’ has cleverly explained the phenomenon from the perspective of a child.
Who doesn’t love a nice monster book? And when the monster is the one who has kept you locked inside the house for the past year, the book becomes even more interesting. ‘The Germ Academy’ is all about Covie, the biggest and baddest germ, whose mission is to infect every human. He seems to be excelling in his mission till the soap squad confront him.
The story starts with all the germs of the world being enrolled in a university and training to be the scariest and strongest – the class includes some of the most well known germ monsters like H1N1, Ebola, dengue, etc. In 2020, Covie proves to be the strongest germ and is assigned the mission of spreading global infections.
Overall, this is a brilliant book and is also one of the largest books that I’ve seen with amazing paper quality. It has breathtaking illustrations that encourage kids to wash their hands, and maintain cleanliness always. Kids will love the monster illustrations and gain a good understanding of the monster we face. My 4 year old was oohing and aahing at every page, and was completely engaged in the story.
Even adults will love the book with incredible detail within the illustrations and special references to Mission Impossible and Elton John! The only con to the book is that ever since we have read it, my son insists on taking one hour long baths because he has to fight Covie with the soap squad very diligently, on every inch of his body!
If you enjoyed reading this review and want to fight Covie at your house as well, you can buy the book from Amazon (kbc affiliate link),
CLICK & BUY NOW!RECOMMENDED RELATED READING:
Pinkfong Baby Shark Wash Your Hands Padded Story Books for 1-4 years. Aayushee has shared a review and inside pages here in the fb group.
Germs are Not for Sharing (The Best Behavior Series) – for 2 years+
V for Vaccine: A One-shot Introduction to Vaccines!
Usborne Very First Questions and Answers What are Germs? 2/2.5 years+
USBORNE See Inside Germs (lift the flaps) 16 pages
Usborne First Questions and Answers: What is a Virus? for 2.5/3 years+
Germs Make Me Sick!: Let’s Read and Find out Science – 2 for 4 yrs+
A Pandemic Is Worldwide (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) Feb 2022 release for 4-8 years.
BE A VIRUS WARRIOR: A KID’S GUIDE TO KEEPING SAFE for 4 years+ (this book can be ordered from Scholastic India, via our kbc storefront as well )
Max Your Health (The Me and We Series) for 3 years+ (this book and the entire series can be ordered from Scholastic India, via our kbc storefront as well – it’s usually more affordable there!)
Viral Infections – A Hygiene Guide And Sticker Activity Book For Children (32 pages). Kimeera has shared a review in our kbc fb group here along with some inside pages. She recommends it for 4+, but the preventive measures can be for 3+ too. Quoting her:
“The book starts by explaining what viral infections are and goes on to describe four common viral infections, how they spread from person to person, and their symptoms. Then comes the most important part of the book – what to do to protect yourself from these infections, including hand-washing, masking up, eating healthy, etc. This is followed by a dozen activities – stickers, mazes, colouring, matching, etc. that help kids better understand the do’s and don’ts during the viral season.
The book has easy language, pictures to go with every bit of information, and is engaging for young children. The two-year old listens in along with the four-year old and has become quite preachy about washing hands as they are full of viruses. So I guess no age is too young for books like this!”
Pete The Kitty: Wash Your Hands (My First I Can Read Book) for 4-8 years (32 pages)
