Sick Simon

Gr 1–3—Simon receives a hero's medal from some germs after he relentlessly passes his messy cold to his family, friends, and school acquaintances. When he learns the ways he's contracted and spread the malady, he begins proper hygiene and recovers, as do his victims, until another child with a runny nose enters the classroom. Readers who relish the gross humor at the beginning may balk at the didactic climax and resolution. The author's big-head Photoshop cartoons reveal his background in television animation. This style is also evident in the all-round hyperbole. Mucus gushes from noses, Simon vomits out of the school bus window, and a giant protozoa brags about his gift of diarrhea. Why the parents, teachers, or school nurse don't intervene remains a mystery. Educators may choose this title to reinforce health rules or prompt "ewwws" in the classroom.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA