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Don't Touch That!    by Jeff Day Amazon.com order for
Don't Touch That!
by Jeff Day
Order:  USA  Can
Paw Prints, 2008 (2008)
Hardcover
* *   Reviewed by Michelle York

Have you ever walked in the woods, or even your backyard, and wondered if the plants, animals and insects were friend or foe? Or worse, have you not thought of them at all and later come down with an awful, itchy rash or a nasty bite?

Dr. Jeff Day has written Don't Touch That!: The Book of Gross, Poisonous, and Downright Icky Plants and Critters as a field guide for young explorers. Dr. Day breaks the book down into sections about plants, insects, amphibians and reptiles, and other mammals such as bats and porcupines. Readers learn not only about everyday pests, such as mosquitoes, but also dangers few are likely ever to encounter, like pit vipers. But if you're one of the unlucky ones, say, stung by a bee, the book tells you how to react quickly.

At times it reads a little like the medical handouts found in doctor's offices, but then Dr. Day will weave in a few fascinating factoids, such as how a plant can cause a rash for years after it is dead or how even the smoke from burned poison ivy can cause a skin rash. The book is illustrated with Dr. Day's own cartoons. Apparently he is as multi-faceted as his book.

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