Bites and Stings (Head-To-Toe Health) by Elaine Landau

The cover image of a bee on the tip of a child’s nose makes it clear: this collection of cautionary information wants to grab kids’ attention with facts too fearsome to disregard. Like other titles in the Head-to-Toe Health series, the concentration is on the mostly minor day-to-day woes children suffer. But many of the photographs are grabbers, such as the cringe-worthy shot of a tick being tweezered from skin, or the impaled stinger of a bee still laden with honey. The content, however, swerves from inventive self-help advice (refrigerating calamine lotion to soothe bites or using a credit card to remove stingers) to pointers so unembellished they’re nearly alarmist (the numerous suggestions on avoiding shark bites might needlessly distress budding swimmers). At best, such warnings make good jumping-off points for more detailed works like Alexandra Siy’s Mosquito Bite (2005). The main text could have benefited from bullet points; however, the back matter shines with a glossary, index, and lists of related Web sites and further reading. Grades K-3. --Daniel Kraus

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
If you're outside and all of a sudden you feel this heavy jolt of pain, you might just have been stung by a bee. Mosquitoes are a bit more subtle and sometimes when you feel a bit itchy and look down you might have "a small reddish bump." You don't often read about kids being bitten by lions, tigers, bears, alligators or sharks, but it does happen on rare occasions. Children are commonly bitten by "bees, wasps, scorpions and hornets." These insects "sting when they sense danger." Other insects like mosquitoes, fleas and ticks are looking to get a meal, but there are ways to keep them from bothering you. A few of the methods used to prevent bites are to stay away from grassy vegetation, marshy woodlands and dress appropriately. You can use insect repellant (not over an open wound, please!), wear long sleeves, long pants and closed-toed footwear. Make sure you wash the repellent off your skin and launder your clothing when you get home. If you do get bitten, you can use a cold wet cloth, an ice pack or calamine lotion to sooth the itchiness or sting. This book also tells you what to wear, do and not to do to avoid being stung by a bee. If you smell too sweet, a bee might be attracted to you. If you do get stung, you'll need to get that stinger out. This book also discusses how you should act around dogs and most importantly how to react if you are threatened by one. There is also a short section on poisonous snakes. This is a good book for younger children to read to acquaint themselves with basic safety measures to avoid getting bitten or stung. It also provides basic care instructions in the event they are. This book does not cover bee sting allergies, but that could be covered in a class discussion. There are a few interesting sidebars scattered throughout the book, an index, a glossary and additional recommended book and web site resources. This is one in a series of six in the Head-to-Toe Health books, one that would be a great addition to the homeschool or classroom shelves!