Extremely gross animals Stinky, slimy and strange animal adaptations

Claire Eamer, 1947-

Book - 2021

"Ripley's Believe It or Not meets National Geographic in this book about some of the grossest yet most fascinating ways animals have adapted to survive. Survival of the Grossest explores how some of the most effective -- and often truly foul -- survival adaptations in the animal world involve poop, mucus, spit, foul smells and sprays, nasty eating habits, disembodied body parts and zombification. Organized into seven 4-page sections and including more than 30 creatures in all their gross glory, the book is written in an upbeat tone that delights in delivering the dirt on the almost unbelievable ways animals have adapted to survive and thrive. And in addition to appealing to readers' natural interest this wild world of gross, ...it also encourages them to think like scientists and appreciate how these animals are as incredible as they are gross. Endmatter includes a glossary, selected sources and an index. And although it doesn't, it probably should include a warning to keep a barf-bag handy, just in case."--

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Subjects
Genres
Instructional and educational works
Illustrated works
Published
Toronto, ON : Kids Can Press [2021]
Language
English
Main Author
Claire Eamer, 1947- (author)
Physical Description
40 pages : color illustrations ; 24 x 27 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (page 39) and index.
ISBN
9781525303371
  • Welcome to the wild world of gross!
  • The scoop on poop
  • Mucus madness
  • Spit it out!
  • Gas attack
  • Ew...just ew!
  • Didn't need it anyway
  • Monster attack
  • Grossology.
Review by Horn Book Review

The table of contents gives readers a taste (ew) of what's in store: poop, mucus, spit, gas, and more. Eamer goes beyond the gross hook, however, explaining in an introduction, "Many of these animals actually survive on revolting substances and thrive on gross habits." A lively and accessible page design includes close-up photos, text boxes, and design elements to up the ick-factor. Eamer's detailed text strikes the right balance between intriguingly disgusting facts (hagfish produce slime "by the bucketful in less than a second") and solid information (scientists are looking at using "hagfish slime as a natural replacement for petroleum-based fibers"). "Some gross extras," a glossary, selected sources, and an index conclude this well-organized offering. (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

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. (glossary, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.