Friday, April 20, 2018

Review: Blood, Poop, and Dead Skin by Ruth Owen and Ross Piper


BLOOD, POOP, & DEAD SKIN:
THE THINGS INSECTS EAT
The Secret Lives of Insects
by Ruth Owen and Ross Piper
Ruby Tuesday Books
Children's Non-Fiction
32 pages
ages 4 to 8


Inside this book, meet 12 insects that take disgusting eating habits to a whole new level. From dung beetles slurping up elephant poop soup to tiny creatures that could be feasting on your body right now, every page is packed with truly unbelievable facts. Perfect for reluctant readers, these books deliver life sciences in the creepiest, yuckiest way possible!


 MY TIDBITS

Kids who love the icky, gross and simply can't get enough of insects and how they eat are in for a huge treat with this book!

This book is about insects. . .some very rare and some more common. . .and the more disgusting habits several harbor. Disgusting as some of the food sources might be, this is not only about hitting high on the grossness scale, but rather, offers all sorts of interesting insect tidbits along the way.

Twelve very different critters are put in the spotlight, including everything from Honeypot Ants to Green Bottle Flies to Tarantula Hawks and so many more. Each insect becomes the star of a two-page spread and is presented in real life, very colorful and clear photographs. Readers get a glimpse into their natural habitats. There's a quick summary of the insect, their environment and their food source as well as a reason for why they eat what they do. A 'The Science Stuff' box sits between the photographs, offering more curious and interesting bits of information about the insect. And to keep the excitement high, little boxes point to various attributes in the photographs and give a short description or another bite of information. At the end of the book, there's a good sized glossary to help with more difficult terms, an index and the mention of a website, where readers can discover even more.

This is not a book for the weak of stomach, but the insects as well as the information is interesting. The text is at the perfect level for middle graders, gets right to the point and keeps things short. This keeps readers from getting bogged down and bored, and lets them simply dive right into the information. And the insects here are not ones often explored. There's definitely something new to discover even for insect fans who know their stuff.


The lives and behaviors of insects can be truly incredible. Some, however, are so gross you probably won’t even want to read about them. Or, do you? From a wasp that turns cockroaches into zombies to a beetle that repels predators with poisonous, boiling-hot farts—each book in this fascinating new series is packed with truly unbelievable facts. Perfect for reluctant readers, these books deliver life sciences in the creepiest, yuckiest way possible!

Discover the four books in this series


No comments: