Dr. Jennifer Gardy is a bit of a science rock star. A frequent speaker and sometime guest host of CBC’s The Nature of Things, and an accomplished epidemiologist with many scholarly publications to her name, Gardy heads the Genome Research Lab at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. In her first children’s book, the Vancouver resident shows she is also a disease detective, germ hunter, cootie catcher, and entertaining science communicator with plenty of kid-appeal.

The topic of germs is in good (and well-washed) hands with Gardy. She takes us to “germ school,” where we learn about the difference between viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites; how epidemiologists measure contagion; and the history of vaccination.

Edmonton illustrator Josh Holinaty turns disease-giving bugs into loveable yet misunderstood characters. A chapter entitled “Get to Know the Great Germs” features hockey card–style sidebars that provide a danger profile on common bugs, while pandemics are later explained with the use of a snakes and ladders game.

The book explores the connection between antibiotics and the rise of superbugs, but the opportunity to share a public-health message about antibiotic overuse is missed. Gardy is adept at simplifying complex microbiology, but some concepts, like the transmission of malaria and the description of strains, could use more clarification.

Standing up for microbial mites, Gardy acknowledges that although some germs will make us sick, “it’s not their fault – they’re just trying to get along in the world, looking for a nice warm place to live and multiply.” The author keeps calm and carries on with some age-old advice: soap and water and common sense are the best protection against the spread of disease.

It’s Catching is entertaining non-fiction that demystifies scary invisible creatures, and has the power to soothe even the most paranoid germaphobes among us. One hopes that Gardy finds time in her busy schedule to pen another successful title for children.