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< Picture Books Library
Little Parachutes Gold Star Winner
Categories: Infectious Diseases, Washing & Good Hygiene

Now Wash Your Hands

A playful and humorous picture book which encourages young children to wash their hands. It simply explains what germs are and how they can give you a 'nasty bug'.
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Now Wash Your Hands!

Author: Matt Carr
Illustrator: Matt Carr
Publisher: Scholastic

“But the good news is, there’s a simple thing that little germs can’t stand… If you don’t want them to hang around, all you do is….WASH YOUR HANDS!”

Doris the Doctorpus explains to the animals at school that there are some very very small things called GERMS that can be sent packing with soap and water…even though there’s MILLIONS of them! Doris has even got her own hand-washing song. Matt Carr has come up trumps with this funny and helpful picture book. We loved the tropical fruit colour palette he has chosen to compliment his engaging animal characters. Doris is particularly appealing – and any doctor will tell you that having eight arms would come in handy, particularly at the moment – although washing all eight limbs makes her late for her lunch.

While Coronavirus isn’t mentioned, this book is very useful to reinforce the importance of hand washing to minimise the spread of the virus.

This video link is provided to help an adult assess the book's suitability for a child's situation before purchasing it. It has been filmed by a third party and hosted on YouTube and is not made by Little Parachutes. More info

The messages we found in this book:

Guidance:

  • Germs are tiny: hundreds of millions of them could fit on a spoon
  • Germs can ‘give you a nasty bug’, so it’s important to wash you hands to send them packing.
  • After playing outside, gardening, spending time with animals on a farm, visiting the loo, or before eating, you should wash your hands.
  • The book includes instructions on how to wash your hands properly.

Categories: Infectious Diseases, Washing & Good Hygiene
Tags: co-operation, coronavirus, germs, hand washing, hygiene



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What is a Parachute Book?

A challenging experience can make a young child feel as if they are in emotional free fall. As a parent, you can’t stop them falling, but you can offer them a softer landing:
a Parachute Book.

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The information provided on the Little Parachutes website is not a substitute for professional care by a qualified practitioner, and is not intended to provide medical advice. If you are concerned about the health and wellbeing of yourself or children in your care, you should always consult an appropriate healthcare professional.