Sneeze!...

bookshelf...

Sneeze!

by Alexandra Siy

with micrographs by Dennis Kunkel

Charlesbridge Press, 2007

What is there not to like about electron micrographs? The wonder of seeing the infinitismal never gets old  -- which is why I think it is completely unfair that books such as the nose-tickling “Sneeze!” are found typically only in the Children’s section. Grown-ups sneeze, too…

Sneeze! takes a close look – a very, very close look -- at the mechanics of sneezing, starting with  the usual-suspect triggers (pollen, mold, virus, dust mites, etc.), then moving on to the speedy firing of neurons, the orderly contraction of muscles, and the spectacularly explosive finale. Remarkably, all sneezes happen in precisely the same way, no matter what the cause.

The story follows the sneezy fates of 9 children who come in contact with a variety of histamine-triggering allergens and physical irritants -- micrographs of which accompany each spread. The pictures are gorgeous. Pollen grains -- smooth, spiky, round or oblong -- manage to hold their enigma, while a dust mite grown mighty appears both unlikely and frighteningly efficient. Even mold takes on a certain alien beauty.

Seen way up close, goose down looks like bamboo, while a strand of cat hair resembles the trunk of a palm tree. A virus, however, has no counterpart in our visible world. Even in the realm of the microbial, viruses are in an itsy-bitsy class of their own. The micrograph of the Influenza A virus boasts a magnification of 220,000x, compared to a mere 405x for the grain of pepper -- which still appears at least 20x bigger. 

Sneeze! includes a back section full of factoids (ever wonder why you never sneeze in your sleep?), as well as information on micrographs, and a list of web resources, including a link to Edison’s very first movie, an achoo-classic on, yes, a sneeze... http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr018.html

- j.a.g.