Nonfiction Monday: Oh, Yuck! and Oh, Yikes!

What is it about kids? Try as I might to introduce them to more highbrow fare, they love the gross, the disgusting, the bizarre. Like most children, my kids have a beloved collection of creepy toys: a skull with brains that bulge out the eye sockets when you squeeze it, a giant plastic cockroach that can stick to (and walk down) the wall, Whoopee cushions, and the like. So a few years ago, when I discovered this week's books, both written by Joy Masoff and published by Workman, I knew they would be a surefire hit. I was right. All of my kids, as well as my students, adore these books. Some read them cover to cover while others look up a specific topic or just dip in for a daily dose of gross, but I've never known a kid who did not enjoy them.

First up, Oh, Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty. It gets off to a suitably disgusting start with acne ("Of all the cruel jokes that life plays on us - sweaty armpits, stinky breath, and gym class - pimples rank right up there on the 'not fair' chart.") and continues the parade of trivia through farts, maggots, and shrunken heads all the way to X-periments. The style is breezy and fun, but the information is (thought I kind of hate to admit it) downright fascinating. Did you know that hookworms can get into your body through tiny cuts (Parasites) or that sounds over 90 decibels can damage your ears (Earwax) or that pit viper venom is used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure (Snakes)? That's the kind of information kids can pick up from Oh, Yuck!

Kids who enjoy Oh, Yuck! will also appreciate the sequel,Oh, Yikes!: History's Grossest Moments a compendium of historical trivia with a disgusting slant. This volume kicks off with Atilla and the Huns and time-travels from Dumb Duels to Miserable Medicines before ending with Zany Zoos.

Recently, an adult tried to impress one of my sons. He asked the clearly rhetorical question "Do you know how we got the expression 'mad as a hatter'?" "Sure," my son replied. "Victorian hat makers used lead in some of their hat making steps, and often poisoned themselves in the process." Apparently that is, in fact, correct. "How did you know that?" I asked him. He shrugged. "Oh, Yikes!"

If you have a trivia-loving kid, or just an afficionado of all things disgusting, these two books are a must have! The encyclopedia-style presentation, heavy on sidebars and illustrations, makes them very approachable for reluctant readers, and many gifted readers will pick them up again and again as their interests change - "I know I read something about mummies in Oh, Yikes! What was it?"