Rotten!: Vultures, Beetles, Slime, and Nature’s Other Decomposers – A Fascinating Book About Decay and the Food Chain for Kids

by Anita Sanchez, Gilbert Ford (Illustrator)

A funny and fact-filled look at decomposition in all of its slimy glory, illustrated with dazzling full-color art by Gilbert Ford. Vultures, fungi, dung beetles, and more aid in this fascinating and sometimes smelly aspect of the life cycle that’s right under our noses. What’s that terrible smell? It’s the revolting scent of rot. But being rotten isn’t necessarily bad. If nothing ever rotted, nothing new could live. Decomposition may seem like the last stop on the food chain, but it’s just the beginning. When dead plants and animals decay, they give life to a host of other creatures, and each one helps ecosystems thrive. Decomposition happens in the forest, the ocean—even in your stomach and between your teeth! From vultures and sharks to bacteria, maggots, mushrooms, and more, discover the dirty rotten truth about one of nature’s most fascinating processes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Middle Grade, Nature, Childrens, Humor, Animals

96 pages, Hardcover

Published January 22, 2019

Reviews

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great survey of decomposition in a lot of different areas. I loved learning about vulture stomaches, Dog Vomit Slime Mold, aerobic vs. anaerobic decomposition, sharks as scavengers, and more.

I took this out to local elementary schools in Spring 2019.

I loved the illustrations, personally, and thought they brought together the occasionally disparate content well.
I do wonder, though, if it would appeal more to kids if it had photographs of the real stuff (I found myself picking up my phone to look up photos of some of the things, but I've found most kids don't think to do that).

Great emphasis on conservation and the environment. Highly recommend.

[Sunday · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Decomposer Selfie: CORPSE FINDER. Corpse-finder mycelia [fungus webs] suck up the nutrition provided by a decomposing corpse. Then telltale clusters of mushrooms sprout over the spot where the body is buried. Sometimes they reveal the secret location of a buried murder victim!" p. 25

There are so many interesting facts and explanations in this book, I had to find sticky notes to mark them. Decomposers are EVERYWHERE. In your body. On your body. In your refrigerator. On the ground you walk across outside. In nature in general. There are millions and millions of species of decomposers. In unexpected places even - like chocolate!

Anita Sanchez's writing is spot on with charming illustrations by Gilbert Ford.

READ THIS ALOUD TO YOUR STUDENTS! In classrooms, highly recommending projecting with a doc camera or smart board and reading aloud (yes--this is a nonfiction chapter book that you can read aloud). You might pose a big question like: What are you learning that you never knew before? And why is this important? OR Why are decomposers important? Sanchez provides plenty of rich content for students to discuss.

BOOK TALK THIS SO STUDENTS GRAB UP - Start by sharing the cover and full title. (That might be enough!) Read aloud the following excerpts - the intro (p. 1), the "corpse finder" (page 25), "Good and Rotten" about how the cacao beans in chocolate have to rot before they develop their amazing taste, and "Your Own Personal Bacteria" about how your smelly armpit sweat is from the waste products of bacteria living there (page 53).

THERE are CLEAR BIG IDEAS in this book - Sanchez does a beautiful job of developing multiple ideas including:
*Decomposers are everywhere, not to be feared, and vital to our every day lives.
*Over the centuries, humans have learned how to defy the natural, helpful way of decomposers (e.g., embalming with honey and so forth) but this may be starting to harm Earth (e.g., think landfills that are packed so tight, sun and air can't host decomposers and the invention of plastic which doesn't break down). There's hope, though. (Sanchez shares some new research. You'll have to read to find out!)

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so gross and so interesting. I like the way it was written in a fun way. It made me laugh while I was trying not to puke. The illustrations are funny and informative.
This might very possibly be a nomination for a book award.
I now know more about dung beetles than I needed to know but... thanks anyways!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The far less pleasant but essential part of the cycle of life deilvered in coloful illustration and a fun, engaging text.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rotten! Vultures, Beetles, Slime, and Nature’s Other Decomposers by Anita Sanchez, illustrated by Gilbert Ford, 83 pages. NON-FICTION. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. $17
Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Like the book Itch!, from the same series, this book covers the more unpleasant but fascinating elements of the biological world. This book moves from decomposition that happens in the world at large, and with each chapter moves closer to decomposition that happens close to you and even inside of you. There is a solid amount of reading commitment with this book, but it is broken up into small sections, making for an accessible non-fiction reading experience.

I learned a lot from this book, and even perhaps addressed some of my own fears born out of a lack of understanding. The information in this book is the perfect amount of gross that some kids crave, and not so disgusting that it will be off-putting for more sensitive readers. This would be a fun book to read as a class, aloud or in small groups.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the only thing that I disliked (though I could easily move past it because of the awesome content) was the layout of the narrative. While the chapters themselves were neatly organized, the weird design for what amounted to textboxes though it was a seamless narrative were distracting.

BUT, that doesn't detract from the cool, humorous content about the excitement of decomposition with the approach of the eaters, rollers, slurpers, movers, etc. of decomp while finishing out the short nonfiction with how manmade products are not earth-friendly but that we can begin to correct these issues by being aware of what/how we use products, what we do with them, and how it affects the rest of the ecosystem. Nothing is heavy-handed, it's just a spot-on assessment of the life cycle of decomposition even from history when the Egyptians learned what was useful in preserving their favorite pharaohs.

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. It starts out telling us about dung beetles and then moves on to fungi and slime and birds of prey. All along it is demonstrating the symbiotic balance of so many things in nature.
I can imagine a kid reading this and getting all excited about ecology and preserving nature and our ecosystem.

[Danni Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so many fascinating and disgusting things from this book! Amazing! Well-written, well-illustrated, and well-researched. Perfect for readers who are interested in science and/or excited about the "yuckier" side of things.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information shared in a fun and organized way. Really like this one!

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly interesting early chapter book on decomposition, why it's important, and how nature helps it along.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright fun art. Engaging text. This is a perfect book for a mid to late elementary school student. I love finding books like this that make science so inviting.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree they are necessary. We just need to have boundries. This is your space, and this is mine. Don't come near me.

[Gabriel Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book to be imbalanced in its details.

However, I learned several things that I am "happy" to know about now. Like . . . Dog Vomit Slime Mold . . .

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting!