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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

A Little Book of Slime, by Clint Twist. A Firefly Book, 2012. $9.95 ages 9 and up

"Some sea slugs feed on marine plants, but many of them are predators. Most live on the ocean floor, where some species hunt sea snails. Others nibble at the tentacles of sea anemones, or specialize in eating sponges."

EWWWW! Slime...how creepy and crawly is that? Here's a book that is filled with the stuff! Slimy Stuff in Water on land, water and other slimy stuff is discussed in two page spreads that include the slimy subject, a full page colored photograph, its place on the slime-ometer (on a scale of 1 to 10) and a Slime alert!

Readers will get a kick out of the face-scrunching, body-constricting responses of those appalled by the thoughts of slimy creatures and their sticky ooze. The author uses slimy language while describing those who count on slime to keep bodies moist, to collect food, and to provide defense against predators. Some of the slime is poisonous, all is sticky and often it can even be 'utterly revolting'.

If you can keep it together to read your way through its pages, you are sure to learn that slime is everywhere. The author uses small bits of description to inform his audience, and ensures that readers will be able to find their way back to their favorite parts by adding a table of contents, section introductions, a glossary of highlighted words and an index.
 
He writes in a way that makes the information easy to understand and process.

"Running your fingers through the plants in a meadow can be a very pleasant experience - until you find a glob of slimy wet bubbles that look like spit."

Some types were familiar to me; many were not. Some of them are too gross to consider. Others, including our own phlegm (what a positively ugly word!) are part of our experience and hold interest. There is a lot to learn here, and the design of the book makes that learning quick and fun, for the most part.  The photographs lend authenticity to the author's descriptions.  They are clear, detailed and suitably 'gross'.   You know the kids who are going to LOVE this book!

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