The Good Germ Hotel (UK Blad)

By Kim Sung-hwa & Kwon Soo-jin Illustrated by Kim Ryung-eon

This is the first time I’ve seen my hotel from the outside. Wow, you're so big!

Of course I'm big.

I'm nine years old!

SOAP

Well, it's nice to meet you nine-year-old.

It's high time we were properly introduced.

We've seen you washing your hands to get rid of bad germs. But most of us germs aren't scary. Your body is our hotel, and we're here to help you.

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I am a bacterium that lives in your gut. My suite is located on the middle floor, inside your intestines.

I love it here. It's dark and cosy and I get to eat lots of tasty food.

But what do you do in my body all day?

Well, I'm actually incredibly busy. I have lots of chores, like breaking down the food that you eat and sending the rest of your body the nutrients it needs. By the end of each day I'm usually beat, but I love being a busy bacterium.

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So, what happens when you eat my food?

Sounds like a big job for such a tiny bacterium!

Well, there are a lot of us.

All together we are known as your gut microbiota.

The many different kinds of bacteria in your gut have some things in common.

When your gut bacteria eat these special fibres we produce short chain fatty acids (STFAs) and gases. STFAs are the main source of energy for many of the cells in your body, so are very important. You don't need the gas so it usually just exits your body as farts!

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We all like to eat substances called prebiotics, which we get from your food. Prebiotics are types of fibre that your body cannot digest, but they are a delicacy to us! These fibres are found in many fruits and vegetables such as onions, garlic, asparagus and bananas.

If I have immune cells to fight bad germs, why do I get sick?

It all depends on you! If you are healthy, your immune cells will be healthy and can easily kick out harmful germs in your body.

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WANTED GERMS

But if you don’t eat or sleep well, your immune cells become tired and weak.

Sometimes they don’t recognize the bad germs until it is too late, and sometimes the bad germ armies are stronger than the immune cell armies.

This is why you sometimes get sick.

When your immune cells are nice and strong they are an intimidating troop.

They will always stand their ground and defend your body from invaders.

Name: Strep T hro Cause: Bad Ge at (bacteria) rms inv the thr ading oat Sympto ms: Hig h sore th roat wit fever, very h white patche s, head ache

Name: Stomach Flu (virus or bacteria) Cause: Contaminated water or food, or getting too close to someone with stomach flu Symptoms: Watery diarrhea, stomach pain or cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever

Name: Com mon Cold (v irus) Cause: Breat hing in snee ze or cough dro plets from an infected per son Symptoms: Fever, head ache, nasal conges tion, sore th roat, cough, body aches

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Author: Kim Sung-hwa and Kwon Soo-jin Illustrator: Kim Ryung-eon Ages: 6–9 years Price: £12.99 Format: Hardback Extent: 48 pages Trim size: 265 x 210 mm Pub date: 4th March 2021 ISBN: 978-1-9137501-5-2 Description Did you know that your body is full of bacteria? And that most of it is good bacteria that helps to keep you healthy? Well, now’s your chance to get up close and personal with the microorganisms that live inside all of us. Travel through the body with our gut bacteria guide, stopping off to meet other microbe residents along the way. But you’ll have to keep up! Human good bacteria are very busy and have lots of jobs to do – everything from helping to digest the food we eat to protecting us from germs and viruses. It’s all in a day’s work for our friendly, neighbourhood microbes!

Selling points • The microbiome is one of the hottest topics in health today. After spending most of the modern era believing that microorganisms were our enemies, we now know that an entire ecosystem of microbiota not only live in our bodies but are essential to its functioning.

• In today’s climate, germs and bacteria are the topics on everybody’s lips. This book teaches us that not all germs are bad and invites kids to relate to the good ones.

• With 43 per cent of the UK population having experienced some form of digestive discomfort (according to YouGov), issues of gut heath are a constant presence in families.

Author information Kim Sung-hwa and Kwon Soo-jin studied biology and molecular biology at Pusan National University, South Korea, and have a passion for teaching others about how good bacteria help our bodies and keep us healthy.

Illustrator information Kim Ryung-eon studied painting at university, and has been working as an illustrator for children’s picture books since 2003.

Consultant information After graduating from the Department of Microbiology at Seoul National University, Chun Jong-sik received a doctorate in microbiology from Newcastle University Medical School in England. He is now teaching students in the life science department of Seoul National University.

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