YUCK!

Give this book a perfect ten on the prickle-meter. Photographed in glorious yucknocolor, the pictures on these pages are guaranteed to raise goose bumps and leave readers itching. Dust mites and silverfish, flora and fungi, the hairs on a human head- -even something so bland as the surface of a compact disk—are microscopically enlarged to present a whole new view of the everyday world. There's surely an educational purpose to it all—to open children's eyes to the wonders of scientific exploration—but Snedden (What is a Bird?, 1993, etc.) has created a gross-fest that is far too absorbing to be a simple learning experience. A foldout page allows readers to guess the objects under the slide. Most can't be guessed (the surface of a tooth looks like a dry riverbed), but the format adds to the fun. The title says it all, and most children will adore it. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-10)