Don't Touch That!

February 1, 2009
Gr 3-6-Packed with potentially life-saving information, this guide is humorous without sacrificing usefulness. The author, a medical doctor, begins with some basic plants (poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac) that might be encountered. Drawings of the leaves are carefully labeled and accompanied by the warning not to touch any part of the plant, and not to burn it as even the smoke can irritate. Poisonous insects, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals are also included, and every entry explains why the creature's venom causes the bad reaction it does and how to treat it. The text does a good job of explaining how to distinguish a poisonous insect from a benign one. It also encourages recognition of the value of potentially harmful wildlife by touching upon its importance to ecosystems. Genuinely funny, colorful drawings on every page amplify the text and make it memorable. The dangers of eating wild mushrooms, for example, are succinctly summed up: "NEVER EAT WILD MUSHROOMS!" and are accompanied by a cartoon of a rabbit chowing down on them because, as the text explains, rabbits can eat deadly mushrooms without harm. Valuable information made fun."Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA"

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