Female doctors

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell
by Tanya Lee Stone
ilustrated by Marjorie Priceman


Lively text and pictures make for an attractive picture book biography for young readers. The spirited layout perfectly fits a girl who became the first female doctor in the United States.






Native American Doctor: The Story of Susan LaFlesche Picotte
by Jeri Ferris


Susan LaFlesche Picotte was born on an Omaha Reservation in Nebraska in 1865. Her father, the Omaha chief Iron Eye, believed that the Omaha needed to learn the ways of the white men if they were going to survive. As Susan grew up, she could see the problems that affected the Omahans, and dedicated her life to helping them. She became the first Native American woman to graduate from medical school and worked tirelessly to better the lives of her people. Her story also illuminates the difficulty of living in two different worlds and bridging that difference despite mistrust and misunderstanding. 

An informative, if slightly dry book, good for straightforward book reports or research projects.






Fabulous Female Physicians
by Sharon Kirsh


This book consists of short profiles of ten women physicians from around the world. These doctors specialized in treating marginalized or poor populations, or handled the treatment of women and children who were often overlooked due to cultural taboos. With the exception of Emily Stowe, Maria Montessori, and Lucille Teasdale, these are women who will be unfamiliar to many readers.

A fast, easy-to-read book, but not very engaging. The black-and-white pictures tend to be small and fuzzy. Still, it might be useful for book reports or oral presentations.

Pioneer doctor

House Calls: The True Story of a Pioneer Doctor
by Ainslie Manson


Through the voice of a fictional girl named Kathleen, Manson tells the story of her great-great-grandfather, John Hutchison, who was a pioneer doctor in Canada. Kathleen rides with Dr. H. as he makes house calls, telling readers about the early practice of medicine and the details of rural life during the mid-1800s. Kathleen sees patients being bled, visits a family ill with ague, and assists at the birth of a baby. Her experiences make her want to become a doctor herself. Sidebars provide information on consumption (tuberculosis), amputation, women in medicine, and childbirth. Additional margin notes describe the typical contents of a doctor's bag and the herbs used for various ailments. 

In addition to serving as family doctor, John Hutchison acted as mail carrier, army surgeon, delivery man, coroner, justice of the peace, and doctor for Native Canadian villagers. So when Dr. Hutchison announces that he must leave the community because his large family has outgrown their home, the townspeople are distraught. At a community meeting, Kathleen makes a suggestion: Dr. H.'s patients could build him a house! And they did.

Visit the Hutchison House Museum in Peterborough, Ontario.

Tuberculosis

Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure
by Jim Murphy and Alison Blank


Five hundred thousand years ago, a young Homo erectus died of tuberculosis. TB continues to infect people today. Part medical mystery, part social history, this is the story of the TB germ, its causes, its effects on the human body, and the hunt for a cure. Some of the treatments were truly barbaric, causing more harm than good. Others tried to be more friendly, like the sanatoriums. But for the "outsiders"‚ - African Americans, Native Americans, the poor, the immigrants - medical care was denied. 

Jim Murphy writes with an immediacy that makes for compelling and fascinating reading. He explains the scientific concepts with simple and straightforward prose that is clearly understandable. Source notes and a bibliography reveal his extensive research.

Excellent.

Pandemics past and present

Pandemic Survival: It's Why You're Alive
by Ann Love & Jane Drake


Throughout history, human beings have fallen prey to numerous plagues and pandemics. In Pandemic Survival, the authors take readers on a journey from ancient epidemics to modern day SARS, detailing the causes, symptoms, treatments, and preventions. It starts off a bit repetitively - people fall mysteriously ill, doctors try dubious treatment methods, people die or recover - but eventually gets more interesting. There are enough gross details to keep kids reading, and Bill Slavin's illustrations keep things light. As for why we're alive? Despite everything, we're still here.






Invisible Enemies: Stories of Infectious Disease
by Jeanette Farrell


Smallpox, leprosy, plague, tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, AIDS: these are the seven diseases that have had the most effect on human history. Part history lesson, part biology lesson, Invisible Enemies offers a wealth of detail about diverse societies and the often gruesome and unethical practices committed in the search for cures. You'll learn all sorts of things that you never knew before, like orphans being used to test vaccines, that armadillos can contract leprosy, and that people suspected of causing disease were brutally massacred. Reproductions of paintings, photographs, cartoons and health posters showcase the primitive fears and superstitions that existed at the time.

With a fairly extensive bibliography, index, and selected readings for further study.

Living with germs

It's Catching: The Infectious World of Germs and Microbes
by Jennifer Gardy


The effervescent Jennifer Gardy, whom you may have seen hosting Daily Planet, introduces kids to the microscopic world of bacteria and viruses with her fun and friendly book. In relatively simple language, she explains how germs can cause disease and profiles some of the better-known germs, such as influenza, measles, and ebola. She also traces the evolution of sanitation, vaccines, and antibiotics, and what public health scientists are doing to keep people safe.

The playful tone and cute cartoons happily make for a different bedtime read that kids can actually get into, even if some of the scientific terms may pose a challenge. While a pronunciation guide may have been helpful, Gardy's first book for children is a contagious success.

Snakes and reptiles

Everything You Need To Know About Snakes and Other Scaly Reptiles


This is one of the best books about snakes (along with the other books featured this week). Kids will be drawn in right from the start by the alarming monster snake, who snacked on giant tortoises. From there, they'll discover lots more about snakes, helped by an attractive layout, lively text, and terrific photos and diagrams. Standout pages include the picture of a snake's insides, close-ups of different scary fangs, and the hide-and-seek spread of chameleons and geckos. Absolutely amazing!

Snakes up-close

Nic Bishop: Snakes


Spectacular photographs are the hallmarks of every Nic Bishop book, and this is no exception. Blown-up two to three times their actual size, readers get to count every fang and every colourful scale. They'll also learn some interesting facts about snakes. An author's note at the end explains how Bishop took his photos.

A book kids will enjoy forever and ever.






Exploring Nature: Amazing Snakes
by Barbara Taylor


An in-depth look at snakes that should turn any reader into an avid herpetologist. Well-organized sections cover everything from how snakes move and how they hunt, to snake life cycles and where they live. Special focus features provide more information about venomous snakes like vipers and cobras, desert, tree, and water snakes, and an excellent look at how snakes hatch out. With amazing photos.

Sssnakes

The Snake Scientist
by Sy Montgomery
photographs by Nic Bishop


Thousands of red-sided garter snakes have recently awoken at the Narcisse Snake Dens in Manitoba. Snake Scientist Bob Mason has been studying these snakes since 1991. Author Sy Montgomery joined Mason on one of his field trips, documenting his observations and experiments. His discoveries about snake pheromones will fascinate young readers, as will the close-up pictures by renowned photographer Bishop.

Easy to read and understand, The Snake Scientist will turn kids into junior herpetologists.





Outside and Inside Snakes
by Sandra Markle


For kids who like to get the inside view of things, give them Sandra Markle's book. They'll love the picture of a complete snake skeleton, as well as the close-ups of a snake's inner organs. Clearly written text describe how snakes move, hunt, swallow and digest their food. 

An enthralling and inviting book for all ages.

Build your own robot

How to Build a Robot (With Your Dad): 20 Easy-to-Build Robotic Projects
by Aubrey Smith


This is an easy-to-follow instruction book that will allow kids and parents (moms, too) to create their own robots. Just don't expect these robots to move, unless you're making the robot suit, the lunar rover, or the rocket launcher. More interesting projects include the growing robot (made out of plant pots), the bedside robot (using a bedroom side table), and a lamp robot. Each project can be made using common household tools and easily-found materials. The only other drawbacks to the book are the ALL-CAPS font and the lack of proper lists of materials, which are often buried in the all-caps paragraphs.





Nick and Tesla's Robot Army Rampage: A Mystery with Hoverbots, Bristle Bots, and Other Robots You Can Build Yourself
by "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith


The robots in this book do move, but first you need to head to your local hardware store for motors, batteries, and wire. The instructions are included throughout the fictional story of twins Nick and Tesla and their search for a stolen comic book. Nick and Tesla create several different robots to help in their investigations. The plot is very slight, with few solid clues, odd for a mystery. The book's back cover blurb is rather misleading; there's no rash of robberies (only two!) and the army of robots only show up near the end, when the villain is confronted. It's the villain who explains his dastardly plan, which only goes to show that Nick and Tesla aren't very good detectives.

Robotic history

Mighty Robots: Mechanical Marvels that Fascinate and Frighten
by David Jones


People have been fascinated with robots for years, as evidenced by the number of movies and television shows that feature these helpful or malevolent creations. Automatons have been built as early as the 1600s, when the Japanese built moving dolls that served tea. 

There is a wealth of detail in Mighty Robots, which takes readers through the history of robotic development from the earliest inventions to the possibilities for the future. Chapters describe the evolution of many different types of robots that help us plumb the depths of outer space and vast oceans, defuse bombs, perform surgery, vacuum floors, or play soccer.

Sidebars provide more stories about robotic innovations and summaries of robot-themed movies. These sidebars are printed on a glossy, grey background that makes the text hard to read, especially if you're sitting beside a window. As well, the layout of chapter three, Robot Explorers, is poor, with the photos and text placed too far apart. But these are minor problems. Mighty Robots is a well-researched book that should enthrall technically-minded kids.