The virus by Ben Martynoga

From the Blurb :

WHERE DID IT COME FROM, AND HOW CAN WE BEAT IT? It's 15,000 times smaller than a flea and we can kill it with a bar of soap - so how did a tiny, fragile virus change the world? Join science expert Dr Ben Martynoga and illustrator extraordinaire Moose Allain on a fascinating, sometimes funny, and occasionally scary journey through the world of viruses. Explore the science behind viruses and the COVID-19 pandemic in a fascinating story of hijacked human cells and our own internal emergency services.

In a world of misinformation this book gives students and children the information they are seeking in a fun and easy to read format.

The book has a huge range of information about the Corona Virus and viruses in general along with how our bodies become infected and how we fight the invasion of our bodies by viruses and the COVID-19 virus.  The appeal of this book lies in the illustrations that show the size of the virus compared to an average teenager (1.5metres tall); there are also fabulous illustrations of what is going on inside a healthy cell and one that the virus has infiltrated. The illustrations will appeal to children and help to explain the information in an engaging way. 

The book explains why we can't just eradicate all viruses even if we knew how to and shows that while it is scary and having an impact on how we live our life, the COVID-19 virus may actually benefit the world and humans in some way - think climate change and slowing down. This book aims to educate and inform both children and adults and ensures that the reader will finish the book better informed and more optimistic for the future. 

The addition of a glossary at the back helps the reader to understand some of the bigger words or concepts in the book and is a welcome and necessary addition.

Mhairi Alcorn