What do you think?
Rate this book
Sick Simon
Are germs gross, or great? Sick Simon learns how to be health-conscious during cold and flu season in this clever picture book from the author-illustrator of The Great Lollipop Caper.
Simon is going to have the best week ever. Who cares if he has a cold? He goes to school anyway, and sneezes everywhere, and coughs on everyone, and touches everything.
Germs call him a hero! Everyone else calls him Sick Simon. When will it end? How far will he go? Will the germs take over, or can Sick Simon learn to change his ways?
Simon is going to have the best week ever. Who cares if he has a cold? He goes to school anyway, and sneezes everywhere, and coughs on everyone, and touches everything.
Germs call him a hero! Everyone else calls him Sick Simon. When will it end? How far will he go? Will the germs take over, or can Sick Simon learn to change his ways?
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 13, 2015
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
January 29, 2015
Plague vector Simon has to learn a tough lesson about personal hygiene and the spread of germs.
Teaching kids about germs is difficult. I worked in a daycare center for a year and man, I don't understand why children don't have to walk through a vat of Lysol before they can interact with others.
Telling them to wash their hands, to not sneeze on their friends, to cover their mouths when they cough, it's like telling a cat to be industrious and motivated. It just doesn't compute in their little heads.
On the flip side, sometimes telling kids about the spread of illness makes them into crazy little germaphobes who won't go out without a face mask and gloves.
Where's the line?
This book helps with that first set of kids, the oblivious ones who seem to find delight in passing their diseases along to everyone else. It will only serve to further horrify that second set of kids so if your child is already freaked out about uncleanliness, don't read this to her/him.
The message I would have liked to have seen is the one that says: Sick people, stay home. That is one of the most unpopular messages in our culture because we value money over most everything and workers who stay home can't make bucks for their employers or themselves and this is why we will all succumb to the zombie apocalypse; we suck at self-quarantine.
Teaching kids about germs is difficult. I worked in a daycare center for a year and man, I don't understand why children don't have to walk through a vat of Lysol before they can interact with others.
Telling them to wash their hands, to not sneeze on their friends, to cover their mouths when they cough, it's like telling a cat to be industrious and motivated. It just doesn't compute in their little heads.
On the flip side, sometimes telling kids about the spread of illness makes them into crazy little germaphobes who won't go out without a face mask and gloves.
Where's the line?
This book helps with that first set of kids, the oblivious ones who seem to find delight in passing their diseases along to everyone else. It will only serve to further horrify that second set of kids so if your child is already freaked out about uncleanliness, don't read this to her/him.
The message I would have liked to have seen is the one that says: Sick people, stay home. That is one of the most unpopular messages in our culture because we value money over most everything and workers who stay home can't make bucks for their employers or themselves and this is why we will all succumb to the zombie apocalypse; we suck at self-quarantine.
August 4, 2015
Despite the absolutely disgusting, snot-filled illustrations, this book is actually a little gem.
Simon is sick. But so happy! And so enthusiastic about school, his favorite place! He's going to have the best week ever!
He sneezes on everyone and gets snot on everything.
Even though he doesn't notice, the reader sees that all people surrounding him (family, schoolmates, teachers) are getting sick as a result of his careless actions.
Finally this culminates in him going to a kickball game, but no one is there.
On the bus, some germs congratulate him.
"Hey, Simon. Nice work this week. You're the man!!"
What are you talking about? Simon replies.
The germs explain how amazing he is for never using a Kleenex or washing his hands.
Unfortunately for them, once Simon realizes what he was doing, he starts being conscientious and stops spreading germs.
...
Tl;dr - Even though adults might be put off by the gross illustrations here, kids will love them. Also, I have to give this book points for delivering a great message about keeping germs to yourself WITHOUT being preachy or lesson-y at all. Instead, it just seems like a fun kids' book. This is super-hard to do, so way to go, Krall!
Not available in Spanish.
Simon is sick. But so happy! And so enthusiastic about school, his favorite place! He's going to have the best week ever!
He sneezes on everyone and gets snot on everything.
Even though he doesn't notice, the reader sees that all people surrounding him (family, schoolmates, teachers) are getting sick as a result of his careless actions.
Finally this culminates in him going to a kickball game, but no one is there.
On the bus, some germs congratulate him.
"Hey, Simon. Nice work this week. You're the man!!"
What are you talking about? Simon replies.
The germs explain how amazing he is for never using a Kleenex or washing his hands.
Unfortunately for them, once Simon realizes what he was doing, he starts being conscientious and stops spreading germs.
...
Tl;dr - Even though adults might be put off by the gross illustrations here, kids will love them. Also, I have to give this book points for delivering a great message about keeping germs to yourself WITHOUT being preachy or lesson-y at all. Instead, it just seems like a fun kids' book. This is super-hard to do, so way to go, Krall!
Not available in Spanish.
June 14, 2018
This book was absolutely disgusting. So of course my son loved it. He also had fun locating the cartoon germs on each page.
June 22, 2015
This is a book teachers have begged me for. Usually this happens when the weather changes and flu season hits, but sometimes it happens earlier in the year. "What do you have that will teach my students about spreading germs?" Initially I purchased a few non-fiction titles about germs, which are great and purposeful, but here we have an engaging storyline with pictures kids will love (they turned my stomach, just like they are meant to!) Simon is sick but he LOVES school, so he continues to go. Worse than that, he is one of those kids that has no understanding of the ways he is spreading his germs to his friends and teachers.
I think this story can be effective as a teaching tool in the classroom. Teachers will have to explain that germs are really too small for us to see, unlike the pictures of the hidden germs on all of the "sick" pages. My 8 year old daughter pointed those out to me. It would be great to pair it with a non-fiction title on germs.
This review was first posted on my blog Get Your Book On.
I think this story can be effective as a teaching tool in the classroom. Teachers will have to explain that germs are really too small for us to see, unlike the pictures of the hidden germs on all of the "sick" pages. My 8 year old daughter pointed those out to me. It would be great to pair it with a non-fiction title on germs.
This review was first posted on my blog Get Your Book On.
August 15, 2015
I know that the lesson was heavy-handed, but after being around snotty, unhygienic sick children for a decade+ (including my own three), they really need it spelled out in huge, pink letters from the cover. Plus, I laughed so hard at the illustrations that it completely made up for it. I think the kids will love it and it will make a much needed impression.
June 6, 2015
tommy loved this book so much i'm going to buy it for him.
September 28, 2020
There were bound to be some books that were rendered completely useless by the COVID-19 episode. Sick Simon, published in 2015, is one of them.
Simon is a disgusting little kid. He's sick. He gets snot and puke everywhere and coughs on everyone around him. Soon, he makes the whole school sick. After a meeting with his germs, he realizes the error of his ways and starts to take better care of himself.
While the common sense suggestions of washing your hands, blowing your nose into a tissue, and getting plenty of rest are fine, they're rendered moot by today's climate. Children no longer have the opportunity to make decisions that affect their own health; everything--including whether or not they can go to school--is dictated by the government. And I fear that a book like this could potentially be damaging to vulnerable little psyches. Kids are already being told they're walking disease vectors that are going to kill their grandparents if they don't wear a mask 24/7 and develop a hand-sanitizer addiction (even if they're not sick). Showing Simon make all his classmates violently ill could be traumatizing for already stressed-out kids who have absorbed the messaging about being dirty and diseased.
Before this year, I might've looked on this one more favourably. Simon is suitably disgusting, and kids probably would've gotten a kick out of his nasty habits. But now... it just hits too close to home, and it reinforces the fact that children have no choice in the matter. They're not allowed to decide to go to school when they're sick (or even make the better choice to stay home) because all choice has been stripped away. Sick Simon reads like a paean to a simpler time, when a child with the sniffles was regarded as something other than a murderous disease vector.
Simon is a disgusting little kid. He's sick. He gets snot and puke everywhere and coughs on everyone around him. Soon, he makes the whole school sick. After a meeting with his germs, he realizes the error of his ways and starts to take better care of himself.
While the common sense suggestions of washing your hands, blowing your nose into a tissue, and getting plenty of rest are fine, they're rendered moot by today's climate. Children no longer have the opportunity to make decisions that affect their own health; everything--including whether or not they can go to school--is dictated by the government. And I fear that a book like this could potentially be damaging to vulnerable little psyches. Kids are already being told they're walking disease vectors that are going to kill their grandparents if they don't wear a mask 24/7 and develop a hand-sanitizer addiction (even if they're not sick). Showing Simon make all his classmates violently ill could be traumatizing for already stressed-out kids who have absorbed the messaging about being dirty and diseased.
Before this year, I might've looked on this one more favourably. Simon is suitably disgusting, and kids probably would've gotten a kick out of his nasty habits. But now... it just hits too close to home, and it reinforces the fact that children have no choice in the matter. They're not allowed to decide to go to school when they're sick (or even make the better choice to stay home) because all choice has been stripped away. Sick Simon reads like a paean to a simpler time, when a child with the sniffles was regarded as something other than a murderous disease vector.
January 18, 2023
This book was completely disgusting and so, a total hit. This is a perfect way for teachers and parents to teach their students/children about germs and the importance of keeping your germs to yourself. Just wonderful!
June 27, 2016
Sick Simon is a fun book that teaches children ages 4 - 8 about germs and proper hygiene.
The book follows Simon throughout his week. He is sick on Monday, but doesn't care, and looks forward to the best week ever. The book proceeds to describe all the hygienic mistakes he makes: he touches different surfaces and foods without washing his hands, and sneezes, coughs, and throws up in different places.
Simon feels worse as the week continues, and the germs celebrate Simon as a hero. They tell Simon how much they love the fact that he doesn't wash his hands or cover his mouth, which helps them spread. Simon then decides to change his ways and begin resting so he can recover from his illness, and to cover his mouth and wash his hands more often.
This book has fun illustrations with a lot of gross-out humor and bodily fluids depicted in neon colors. Children will enjoy the gross illustrations and the humor of the germs celebrating Simon.
This is a good book to teach children ages 4 - 8 about germs and health. It would make for a fun independent read, a read-aloud, and would make a good addition to a school nurse's office.
The book follows Simon throughout his week. He is sick on Monday, but doesn't care, and looks forward to the best week ever. The book proceeds to describe all the hygienic mistakes he makes: he touches different surfaces and foods without washing his hands, and sneezes, coughs, and throws up in different places.
Simon feels worse as the week continues, and the germs celebrate Simon as a hero. They tell Simon how much they love the fact that he doesn't wash his hands or cover his mouth, which helps them spread. Simon then decides to change his ways and begin resting so he can recover from his illness, and to cover his mouth and wash his hands more often.
This book has fun illustrations with a lot of gross-out humor and bodily fluids depicted in neon colors. Children will enjoy the gross illustrations and the humor of the germs celebrating Simon.
This is a good book to teach children ages 4 - 8 about germs and health. It would make for a fun independent read, a read-aloud, and would make a good addition to a school nurse's office.
June 11, 2015
I won this book through the Goodreads Giceaways and I am so thankful I got the chance to read this cute and informative book. Dan Krall is a genius turning a very boring topic for children into a fun and easy way to learn it. The book is filled with awesome pictures and dialogs. The book also came with a poster of how to prevent being sick and what to do. I would love to read this book to my nieces and nephews, even my future children to teach them about the importance of being sick and how to prevent it and how to get better and not spread germs everywhere. Bottom line is every parent needs to buy this book and every child needs to read this book and learn from it because this is an important topic which os explained in a very creative way. I love it!
April 29, 2015
***I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads' First Reads program***
I read this book to my 3 year old son as a bedtime story. He really enjoyed it, and I did too! I love how it had so much information about germs and ways to avoid getting sick. It was also super cool that it came with a poster! As a mom who's turned into a little germaphobe, and drowns the house with Lysol as soon as I hear the first sniffle, this book was perfect! Not just for me, but for the whole family! I loved it! I love the author's style of writing, and also the illustrations! He might be one of my new favorites!
I read this book to my 3 year old son as a bedtime story. He really enjoyed it, and I did too! I love how it had so much information about germs and ways to avoid getting sick. It was also super cool that it came with a poster! As a mom who's turned into a little germaphobe, and drowns the house with Lysol as soon as I hear the first sniffle, this book was perfect! Not just for me, but for the whole family! I loved it! I love the author's style of writing, and also the illustrations! He might be one of my new favorites!
January 7, 2015
Blech, the pictures in this book just make me cringe - just like they're supposed to! Simon loves going to school, but he does not love covering his mouth when he coughs, washing his hands, or resting when he's ill. We all know what's bound to happen next. Germs loooove Simon; he's the perfect way for them to take over the world!
This funny and undeniably gross picture book is sure to be an effective way to talk about germs and preventing the spread of illness. I highly recommend this one for the classroom!
This funny and undeniably gross picture book is sure to be an effective way to talk about germs and preventing the spread of illness. I highly recommend this one for the classroom!
February 19, 2015
First off, the illustrations in this book are remarkable! Any elementary child would love to read this book. It was given to me as a gift from my children's lit teacher. It's about a boy named Simon who was excited for his week at school, because on Friday there would be a kickball game. Simon came to school sick and would get everyone else sick as well, there would be no one to play kickball with him by Friday. Simon would then learn about germs and how to prevent others from getting sick. This book would be good to teach children about sickness and how we can prevent spreading it.
April 20, 2015
Simon's sick...he doesn't cover his mouth when he sneezes, he doesn't wash his hands, he touches everything. In short, virus, protozoa and bacteria love him. Simon is their hero because he spreads germs everywhere! And, all his friends, teachers, and family get sick, too! But when Simon realizes that everyone is sick and it's no fun...he decides to do something about it.
Sick Simon is full of gross illustrations, germy humor, and a whole bunch of yuck. Kids will love it (and teach a lesson, too).
Sick Simon is full of gross illustrations, germy humor, and a whole bunch of yuck. Kids will love it (and teach a lesson, too).
June 16, 2016
This is a HILARIOUS book about the spreading of germs amongst kids. Simon pretty much goes about his day as usual without realizing that he's getting everyone sick. I loved the artwork. It was truly beautiful and the story line was hilarious.
October 27, 2017
Simon loves school and he does not want anything to stop him from going to from not getting to play the big kickball game at school. Simon wakes up not feeling good, but instead of staying in bed and resting, he decides to toughen it out and go to school. Simon had no idea that he was going to spread his germs to everyone at school. He ends up being the only kid at school because he gets all of his friends sick by his germs. On the way home, Simon meets some germs that are so proud of him for getting everyone sick. They call him a "germ hero." He realizes what he has done and starts making better choices about cover his coughs and sneezes, and resting. This book really shows the importance of not spreading germs. I really enjoyed reading it because it was easy to read and had great pictures with a little bit of humor to it.
I would definitely use this book in my classroom to teach a health lesson. This book teaches about three types of germs: protozoa, bacteria, and virus. This book can give the students visuals of why they need to cover their mouth when they sneeze and cough. This book also teaches that if a student is sick, he/she needs to stay at home instead of spreading their germs to their friends. I would love to share this book in my classroom someday because I feel like the students would find it funny and be engaged and learn as well.
I would definitely use this book in my classroom to teach a health lesson. This book teaches about three types of germs: protozoa, bacteria, and virus. This book can give the students visuals of why they need to cover their mouth when they sneeze and cough. This book also teaches that if a student is sick, he/she needs to stay at home instead of spreading their germs to their friends. I would love to share this book in my classroom someday because I feel like the students would find it funny and be engaged and learn as well.
January 4, 2020
Simon doesn't practice proper hygiene or notice that he is spreading his germs everywhere he goes, not until he is the only kid who shows up for the kickball game. This is a very message-heavy picture book. Perhaps the gross nature of the illustrations will compensate for that in children's eyes. Searching for the germs within the illustrations on every page/spread is fun but there should have been instructions to do that, or it could have been written into the text. This is a book that adults need for the children in their lives more than a book that children want for themselves.
July 19, 2020
This is a great book to start off conversations about germ transmission, something schools and parents will most likely be needing to have more than a few times this year. 'Sick Simon' unknowingly spreads his pathogens all around his friends and family. There are plenty oppurtunities to ask a class 'what could Simon have done differently here?' or 'what do you think is going to happen next?' The book is short and the illustrations are great fun. This would be good for years 1 and 2, although would certainly make the necessary points to older children also.
January 30, 2018
This book was fantastic! Hilarious illustrations paired up with a good moral (and so relatable) - I loved it. I also loved the added bonus of trying to find the germs in all the places Simon went
October 11, 2019
Really cool - I listened with my mouth open!
October 23, 2023
This is just a cutesy way to encourage handwashing!
March 11, 2022
Ages 2-5
February 5, 2021
This book was awesome! A fun way to demonstrate how germs are spread. Even one kid said "that's why we wear masks!"
Gotta love it :)
Gotta love it :)
January 13, 2015
Simon has a cold but that doesn't curb his enthusiasm to get to school come Monday morning but while he's rearing to go others are not as happy to see him as he spreads his cold to adults and kids. As the week progresses Simon begins to realize the week is not going to go as expected but there are those who think Simon is great, a real hero. When Simon meets his germs and they tell him how much of a help he's been, he's astonished but when they start to dream of a world made for germs he decides to take action. This books was hysterical.
January 29, 2015
A great book to read with a child home sick or to share in the classroom. The story is hilarious and the illustrations ooze with just the right amount of drippy grossness. Krall has cleverly inserted hygiene tips into the story to reinforce the best ways for little ones to keep there germs to themselves. My daughter and I both enjoyed this one. Finding the germs that have been hidden in the pictures adds to fun. Now go wash your hands.
February 18, 2015
My 3 yo requests this over and over for bedtime. Gross illustrations (fun to find the hidden germs on every page) depict the story of snotty, sick Simon, who does not wash his hands or sneeze into a tissue and infects everyone at school, so there is not a soul there for the big Friday kickball game. The germs talk to him on the bus and say he is a "germ hero," and the next day he changes his ways, to the horror of the germs being washed down the sink.
January 29, 2015
Simon trudges on to school, despite feeling ill. Once at school, he sneezes with abandon and shares his lovely germs with anyone and everyone. Only after Simon seems to be the only one still coming to school (they're all out sick) does he learn that perhaps he had something to do with the epidemic.
March 22, 2016
O was not a fan. She read it with Dad and refused to read it with me. After glancing at the illustrations I decided to skip it too. Sounds like it has a good message though especially with a winter plagued with illness.
Still a nasty book but really gets the message across. Was used for Health and Wellness about germs and washing hands.
Still a nasty book but really gets the message across. Was used for Health and Wellness about germs and washing hands.
January 28, 2015
I felt sick reading this book. Between the guilt it could put on kids for their parents making them go to school ill, the pictures, and just how annoying Simon was . . . ugh. Not a book of choice for me.
January 29, 2015
Super charming book! I loved reading it to my niece and it sparked fun conversation on how to keep from getting sick. Dan Krall's drawings are so unique and charismatic. Highly recommend to anyone who has ever gotten sick.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews