The Planet's Most Extreme - Stinkers. edited by John Woodward. Blackbirch Press, 2005. 48 pages.
Review/Personal thoughts: Sometimes you just want to read a book for fun. This book explores the 10 most extreme “stinker” animals on Planet Earth. In a countdown format, the reader learns about the most foul smelling animals on planet earth. Who would guess that one of America’s most common pets, the dog, comes in at number10? Ok, warning! It’s going to get gross if you keep reading. Did you know that vultures go to the bathroom on their own feet to stay cool? Hippos make the list because of a fermented smelly “dung showering” behavior. Yes, it is exactly what you think. Extreme halitosis interest you? This is the claim to fame of the Hooker’s sea lion. Vomit is a key ingredient! I warned you if you keep reading it’s gross. “Hyena butter” is a smelly secretion and we are only on number 6. The “musk” of a musk ox is actually urine. The bull elephant has a special gland that secretes a rancid smelling liquid. A millipede seems harmless enough, yet when threatened it can release the foul smelling gas hydrogen cyanide which can kill! The giant petrel is a bird that loves to feast on rotting flesh and then use projectile vomiting to spread a disgusting smelling acidic liquid. And the number 1 stinker on planet Earth? It’s the skunk! The skunk’s powerful squirt glands can spray up to fifteen feet to cover its target in what has been voted “the worst smell in the world”. This book is co-sponsored by the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet which gives it a scientific base. There are full color photographs on every page. Why do I think tween boys would love to read this book out loud to tween girls?
Genre: Non-Fiction
Reading Level: 6.0 Interest level: Ages 8 to 11.
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