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Ten Books to Help Students Stay Healthy This Winter

Winter is here, and that means the flu season will be rearing its ugly head any day now. School personnel, especially teachers, will be on their toes to help their students stay healthythroughout the winter season. 

One way to help students stay healthy is by encouraging them to read certain books to build their background knowledge about germs and illnesses. These books can also be read together as a class. Education World has found ten books that teachers can read to their students to teach them tricks to avoid getting sick this winter. 

  1. Germs Are Not for Sharing by Elizabeth Verdick: Amazon says: "Rather than focus on what germs are, this book teaches the basics of not spreading them: Cover up a sneeze or cough. Hug or blow kisses when you’re sick. And most of all, wash your hands!"
  2. No More Germs Please: A Book on Handwashing by Ann Sequeira: This book, Amazon says, is "a great interactive children's book on hygiene and handwashing." This book is a story that "uses the concept of asking questions to the reader and the child is provoked to think and answer questions."
  3. So, You Have the Flu by Stacy Mantle: "So, You Have the Flu", according to Amazon, "includes a short 12-page story about a little boy who wakes up one morning with the flu. After the story, the book moves through 12 more pages that explore how the flu is "caught," how it can be treated, and how children can avoid getting the flu in the first place." 
  4. I've Got a Cold by Christine Gerbehy: Amazon says: "Got a cold? What's a kid to do? Why, wait for Mom to make everything better, of course! I've Got a Cold is a book about a boy that gets a cold, then proceeds to pass it around the entire house. Mom then explains how NOT to get sick, by covering his cough, hand washing, etc."
  5. Puffy, Squiggy, and the Chance of a Flu Shot by Mandy Mickem: In this story, Amazon says, "Puffy and Squiggy, Chance's supportive yet silly imaginary friends, follow him everywhere. And when Chance faces a flu shot, he needs them more than ever." 
  6. Rudolph Has the Flu by Marlene Woods: Amazon says:"When Santa arrives at Kiri's house, Rudolph isn't feeling well. Kiri volunteers to help Santa make Rudolph better so they can finish delivering presents to all the good boys and girls. Enjoy Marlene Woods's heartwarming tale of compassion and joy."
  7. Germs! Germs! Germs! by Bobbi Katz: "Germs! Germs! Germs!", Amazon says, "a rhyming story introduces young readers to germs and where they live, from food left out of the refrigerator to the inside of the body, and offers gentle rhyming instructions on how to keep germs away."
  8. Germs Make Me Sick! by Melvin Berger: Amazon says: "Germs are all around you, but they are too small for you to see. Many germs are harmless, but two kinds, viruses and bacteria, can make you sick. Read and find out about germs, how they can make you sick, and how your body works to fight them off and keep you healthy."  
  9. Wash Wash Wash: The Wash Your Hands Story by Grace Garrett: This story, Amazon says, "tells the story of what happens when a boy named Saul doesn't wash his hands."
  10. The Berenstain Bears Come Clean for School by Jan Berenstain: Amazon says: "With everyone coughing and spluttering around them, Brother and Sister learn an important lesson about how to stop germs and colds from spreading. Now they just have to teach Papa!"

Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor