Nature's Yucky: Gross Stuff That Helps Nature Work

One of our bedtime favorites, Nature's Yucky always gets giggles from my little 5-year-old. They really came up with an innovative way to make nature especially compelling to little folks. Can't wait for the sequel!

Did you know that honey is really bee barf? That orca whales never, ever chew their food but just gulp it down in great big chunks? Or that rabbits eat their own poop? These behaviors and more are the subject of a new, unique nature book for children of all ages. The authors, both professional naturalists, profile sixteen different wild animals that do things most people would consider quite gross. There's a mixture of mammals, birds, and cold-blooded creatures that demonstrate disgusting, distasteful and nasty but essential behaviors. "But hey, it's okay. Just imagine if it weren't that way!" The book is best read aloud, if only for the pleasure of hearing this snappy rhyming refrain introduce each yucky behavior and the very good reasons for it. Each animal is featured on a two-page spread in a full-color, fairly realistic illustration with short, embedded, cascading text. For older children, there is more information on each animal is given in the back of the book, along with a recipe for tasty "scat cookies." This delightful book is brilliantly pitched to the sensibilities of its young audience -a guaranteed hit with kids, pre-school age on up. The authors met the challenge of presenting the yucky information in a tasteful, educational and entertaining way. Adults who read it to them will chuckle and enjoy discovering "Nature's Yucky" too.Selected by the Izaak Walton League of America as the best children's nature book of 2003.