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by Melissa Stewart
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Scholastic, 2012
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for Ages 8-12
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ISBN 978-054543-348-8
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Purchase this book at your local independent bookseller or Amazon.com.
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| Lots of books focus on “gross” substances in the human body, but many animals use these same substances in ways that will surprise and fascinate kids! Did you know that Komodo dragons use their saliva to poison their prey, but mice use spit to heal their wounds? Could you guess that sea cucumber use vomit to startle enemies and bees use it to make honey? Young readers will walk away grossed out and with an understanding of how different animals use spit, vomit, slime, poop, urine, and blood to survive. | ||
| Honors and Awards | ||
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| Research Notes | ||
| “I wrote a book about spit a few years ago, and it turns out I wasn’t done with the topic. After I finished the book, I kept on noticing references to weird and wacky ways that animals use spit. I couldn’t cut myself. I kept collecting them. "As my file grew, I started keeping an eye out for strange stories about vomit, and the full range of body waster products. So when Scholastic editor Benda Murray asked me if I had a book idea that she thought could work in the trade market as well as in book fairs and book clubs, I pulled out all the clips I’d been saving and developed a proposal and writing sample. The result of that effort was this book—Animal Grossapedia.” | ||
| Reviews | ||
| This appealing Ripley’s-esque offering pairs two perennial favorites: oddities of the animal kingdom and gross scientific factoids. Adults may be better off not knowing that a cute bunny eats its own feces or that a giant water bug breathes through its behind, but the gross-out factor will be a huge draw for kids, especially reluctant readers. Stewart’s thorough scientific explanations are tempered by a casual language. Children will be so delightfully disgusted they may not notice that they are learning basic and important biological concepts such as ecological adaptation and environmental stewardship. A detailed glossary includes brief and understandable definitions of all sorts of fun jargon: cecotrope, regurgitate,and more. |
