Don't Touch That!: The Book of Gross, Poisonous, and Downright Icky Plants and Critters

You’ve probably heard the warning about poison ivy: “Leaves of three, leave it be.” If only it were that simple! Do you know that a plant that has been dead for years can still cause a rash, or that if you burn poison ivy you can get a skin reaction just by walking through the smoke? And that’s just one species to avoid--if you’re not careful, you can also run into poison oak, poison sumac, trumpet creeper, giant hogweed, stinging nettle, and all sorts of cacti. There are also things that can run into you--critters and creepy crawlies such as velvet ants, killer bees, pit vipers, wasps, scorpions, mosquitoes, tarantulas, bats, black widow spiders, gila monsters, and more. What’s a kid to do? Doctor Jeff Day offers helpful advice on how to avoid getting stung, bit, poked, jabbed, or poisoned . . . and what to do if you are. You’ll learn about everything from rashes to anaphylaxis, tetanus to spider bites, bee stings to rabies. And though the information he provides is serious, Day’s cartoons will have you laughing and scratching along.