When I heard David Shannon interviewed on NPR about his newest book, I had to get it. It’s about head lice.
The artwork is classic Shannon, but I think the whole concept of Lice-a-palooza is brilliant, but still icky.
Head lice ice the power to make us shiver and giggle, often simultaneously. As a teacher, getting notice that someone in you class has head lice, just deflates you. And makes your head itch. The kind-hearted secretaries at my school chuckle the whole time they check my hair, at my request, after I find out that someone I teach has head lice.
Although, funny, Shannon manages to what the lice are doing (feasting on blood) with a cool vampire-lice picture. He talks about the shame and humiliation people feel, how they can get lice, and how to clear it up. It is a war and he explains the battle strategy.
This book would match up nicely with Nicola Davies’ more detailed What’s Eating you? – Parasites the Inside Story.
My apologies if I’ve made you itchy.
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