Micro Mania: A Really Close-Up Look at Bacteria, Bedbugs, & the Zillions of Other Gross Little Creatures That Live In, On & All Around You! by Jordan D. Brown Ages 9+ 80 pages Imagine Publishing July 2011 Paperback     Opening Micro Mania is like looking through a powerful microscope. Color photographs capture images of an amoeba about to eat a bacterium, an influenza virus particle called a virion, and a Demodex mite (a mite small enough to live on a dog’s eyelashes). Brown’s (Robo World, Just Kidding, Animal E.R.) writing in this book can induce squeamishness at times, but his emphasis is on why microbes such as bacteria are important for life on earth. He explains their diversity, their behaviors, and where to find them (water, our body, on pets, at home). Myths like the “five-second rule” are dispelled with facts. Facts are backed up with quotes from scientists, do-it-yourself experiments and research. Sidebars provide the reader with supplementary material related to the chapter (humorous in some cases). Photographs are labeled, and scientific words appear in an Italic font (flagellum, parasites, phytoplankton). The table of contents and the index are useful for finding information. Attention-grabbing books like Micro Mania may get children interested in reading more about biology or microbiology.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2011 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)