Micromonsters in the Garden

Gr 3–7—Amazing, close-up images star in these introductions to the microorganisms around and inside us. Whether a photographic sequence of a one-celled didinium ingesting a paramecium (Garden) or a developing head louse embryo attached to a human hair (Body), the images command attention. Most of the photos are achieved through the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). "Gross or What?" fact boxes supply startling, and sometimes disgusting, notes. Each spread includes the micromonster's common and Latin names, size, habitat, and life span. The main text explains how the microorganism benefits or harms humans, other animals, or plants. Food, for example, presents yeast's importance in bread making but also warns about botulism. Each volume concludes with a diagram showing how small micrometers and nanometers are.