Dale Gottlieb

An off-the-wall approach to hygiene that puts its message across via the funnybone. Ms. Sneed, with turquoise glasses and a wild spout of hair, talks about ordinary topics such as dental care and hair-washing in a snappy, rhythmic vernacular designed to make listeners to sit up and take notice. Her definition of hygiene includes ""brushin' your choppers and blowin' your beak, swabbin' your spuds and scrubbin' your skin."" Seven brightly colored pop-up spreads feature personal care of the nose, mouth, hands, feet, eyes, ears, and hair. Some of the humor relies upon children's fascination for the gross, but there's also wordplay, bold graphics, flaps to open, and pop-up body parts to add interest. This is an eye-catching approach to a potentially dull topic.