Looking for one of those books that makes readers say, “Ewww!”, “Oh my goodness!”, “That’s gross!” out loud or makes them slam the book shut, only to open it again to continue reading? Ick! is the book for those readers. This is the perfect book for those kids who love to learn about animals, especially what they eat, where they live, and how they defend themselves.
Now there are some animals you know are going to be included in this book, like spiders, rats, and snakes, and even with some new information, they are still just as gross as you expect them to be. However, the interesting thing about this book is that you will be surprised at some of the other animals that are highlighted, ones that readers may even admire or think are nice and cuddly.
And as expected from a National Geographic book, the photographs are awesome. They are vibrant, up close and personal, and usually include the thing that qualifies the animal as icky. Which is why there’ll be some strong reactions from readers as they read this book.
As far as the text goes, there’s not an overwhelming amount of text for kid readers who don’t want to be overwhelmed with a lot of specific vocabulary to wade through. Stewart does an excellent job of getting straight to the point explaining why the animal has earned its distinction and then gives a couple of other interesting facts for the reader to enjoy.
This is definitely one that students will love to pick up, put back down in disgust, and then pick it right up again. My kids (aged 9 and 11) and I love these kinds of books, so reading this was a no-brainer for us, and we were not disappointed!
Ick! Delightfully Disgusting Animal Dinners, Dwellings, and Defenses by Melissa Stewart was released in June 2020.
Deana Metzke, in addition to being a wife and mother of two, spent many years as a Literacy Coach, and is now an Elementary Teacher Instructional Leader for Literacy and Social Studies for her school district. In addition to occasionally sharing her thoughts here at MG Book Village, you can read more of her thoughts about kid lit and trying to raise children who are readers at raisingreaders.site or follow her on Twitter @DMetzke. She is also a member of #bookexcursion.
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