EXTREMELY GROSS ANIMALS

From poop-eating dung beetles to wasp larvae in zombified worms, animals survive and thrive in ways humans may find gross.

After reminding her readers that definitions of gross can be cultural as well as innate, Eamer digs right into her disgusting subject, framing her examples to show how what appears to us as distasteful can serve as an animal’s survival skill. Spread by spread she shows how a wide variety of animals might eat, use, or mimic poop, slime and snot, spit, and bad smells. She introduces creatures that discard parts of their bodies and others that attach themselves to and use others’ bodies. Each page opens with an amusing headline, the narrative text describing examples in two or three short sections, each also with a header. The lively design includes captioned stock photographs, often annotated with comments. A fulmar chick vomits a smelly red oil, and the speech bubble says “Blech!” The discarded tails of chameleon geckos squeak. In some cases, such as the ability of velvet worms to spit glue, animal skills have inspired scientific research and practical applications in the human world. Readers are reminded that scientists must move beyond the grossness and ask further questions. There’s plenty of factual information here, but the appeal is the eww factor. Perfect for middle-grade fans of Jess Keating’s Gross as a Snot Otter (2019). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Put this on your middle-grade menu.