Things That Make You Go Yuck!: Odd Couples
It takes two to tango--but in the wild, two can do much crazier things than dance. In Things That Make You Go Yuck!: Odd Couples, you'll find out about nature's strangest dating rituals, cooperative couples, and parasitic pests. You'll explore symbiotic pairings like crabs that carry sea urchins on their backs, and hybrid "franken-species" that seem like something out of a science-fiction tale. Whether it's nature's slimiest organisms or the weirdest mutations, Things That Make You Go Yuck! celebrates survival of the fittest, grossest, craziest, and creepiest things in nature, proving once and for all that life in the wild is anything but ordinary.
Ages 9-12By day, Jenn Dlugos writes science textbooks, assessments, and lab manuals for grades K-12. By night, she writes comedy screenplays, stage plays, and other ridiculous things with her Things That Make You Go Yuck! coauthor, Charlie Hatton. Her favorite creepy crawlies are spiders.
Charlie Hatton is a bioinformatician, science fan, and humorist living in the Boston area. Charlie enjoys working with genetic and other data to support cancer research, learning about new and interesting scientific areas, and referring to himself in the third person in biographical blurbs. Charlie has collaborated with Jenn Dlugos to coauthor the Things That Make You Go Yuck! science book series, as well as several other, far more ridiculous, projects.
Combining two tween favorites--humor and the gross-out factor--the titles in the Things That Make You Go Yuck! series are also educational. But don't tell that to students. These books are all about animal (and a few plant and microorganism) adaptations and survival, particularly the planet's more unusual creatures, and readers will enjoy reading one quick, double-page story after another. The smaller format--with close-up color photos on every page, puns that introduce each species, and related quizzes--add to the browsing appeal. Odd Couples highlights unusual mating practices as well as symbiosis among animals and some plants and how these relationships can benefit one or both species. From yuck to wow to hmm, these books will draw out the curiosity in any reader., Angela Leeper, Booklist, 1/1/17
Eye-catching pictures will grab the attention of anyone just flipping through the books, and the quirky humor will engage readers as they enjoy learning fun facts as they explore the text from cover to cover!, Gifted Child Today, 7/1/17
So, do you need to know where sloths poo? (Hint: it's not in the trees where they spend most of their lazy days); Or the role of roundworm? Or how caterpillars make 'Äòfriends?' Maybe not, but these fascinating and funny anecdotes added to my enjoyment of science recently. Most chapters also have interesting questions at the beginning to prompt the reader to pay close attention - but that's not hard - these books really do make you wonder, and ponder, about the natural world around us., William G., Mensa of Western Washington, 2/21/20
