Vaccines

October 1, 2020
Grades 4-8 Brundle introduces the concept of vaccines in this volume of the Lifesaving Science series (4 titles). She details disease-causing organisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi), cellular immune system components, and a robust history of vaccine discoveries. She also clarifies vaccine delivery methods (including edibles, currently in development) and the progress of vaccines for diseases such as Ebola and Nipah. Information is conveyed in succinct paragraphs of text interspersed among full-color stock photographs, captions, factoid circles, and colorful graphics. Particularly interesting are the discussions of variolation (an early form of inoculating against smallpox involving crushed scabs) and the infographic explaining herd immunity. Originally published in the UK in 2019, this contains no mention of COVID-19, but the detail and scope of the information provided make this a valuable and timely purchase for most libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)