You’ll be saying that over and over as you read this new title from National Geographic Kids. Disgusting, Gross, or Repulsive would also work. Don’t worry if you have to look away because the intended audience of kids 8-12 will fill you in on anything you missed. They’ll love learning about the yuckiest traits of 45 different animals.

Divided into three sections, you’ll journey through DISGUSTING DINNERS, DWELLINGS, and DEFENSES. Be brave and see if you can stomach the insights shared about these animals.

Here’s the Official Synopsis:

Get ready to be totally grossed out as you discover the incredibly icky ways animals eat, make their homes, and defend themselves.

From ants to zebras, you’ll discover some seriously strange animal behaviors. Slurp up soupy insides with houseflies, spit sticky saliva to build nests with birds, and fend off predators with poop-flinging caterpillars and farting snakes. And that’s just the tip of the dung pile! These yucky habits may seem surprising to us, but they’re totally normal for these animals. In fact, their survival depends on them.

Lively text, incredible photography, and all kinds of fun features make this book a must read for curious kids. Ready to chew some fingernails with cockroaches? Dive into the disgusting world of animals!

Each animal is given a two page spread like this one devoted to the Vampire Bat:

An in your face color image is surrounded by several text frames. On the left are the gross details and some stats for the creature’s Habitat, Size, Weight, Predators, and Life Span. More information is included on the right with a few more facts and some Extra ICK! There are 44 more animals to choose from including many with face twisting names: Bone-Eating Snot Flower Worm; Black-Necked Spitting Cobra; or how about an Eyelash Mite? ICK! is right!

Make it through all 112 pages and the details might inspire our next generation of scientists with a passion to discover the unique habits of animals. Final note: No lunch was lost in the creation of this review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 180 science books for children. She has always been fascinated by the natural world and is passionate about sharing its beauty and wonder with readers of all ages.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and a master’s degree in science journalism

from New York University, Melissa worked as a children’s book editor for nine years before becoming a fulltime writer in 2000. She has written everything from board books for preschoolers to resources guides for educators.

Melissa believes that nothing brings nonfiction writing to life like firsthand research. While gathering information for her books, she has explored tropical rain forests in Costa Rica, gone on safari in East Africa, and swum with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands.

When Melissa isn’t writing or exploring the natural world, she spends time speaking at schools, libraries, and conferences for educators. She can’t imagine any job she’d rather have.

(For more about Melissa and her collection of books visit her web site)

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Blogging about middle grade books or authors next week? Join the celebration:

All you have to do is blog about a middle grade book on a Monday (contests, author interviews, or anything middle grade related also count). Email me the title of the book or feature and a link to your blog at gpcolo[at]gmail[dot]com

Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and please don’t forget to say what book or author you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

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*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.