Owen, Ruth

School lunch will never look the same after devouring such chapters as "A Peanut Butter and Rat Hair Sandwich" and "Maggot Cheese, Anyone?" Enlarged images showcase bugs that feed on what should be ours to eat, alongside text that delights in imparting gross facts about the tiny diners and what and how they ingest, how quickly they multiply, what they leave behind, and the consequences of eating infested food. Sidebars impart such tidbits as how many insect parts the U.S. government says are allowable in peanut butter, and why it is important to wash salad.

Photographs and simple, repetitive text describe marine animals, including starfish, clownfish, lobsters, crabs, seahorses, and others.

Photographs and simple, repetitive text describe different species of sharks and discuss their senses, teeth, eggs, and babies.

Photographs and simple, repetitive text describe outer space, discussing space shuttles, astronauts, planets, and more.

Briefly describes the eating habits of a number of insects, including lady bugs, honeybees, butterflies, and others.

Describes the behavior of musk oxen as they protect their young from the predators that threaten them.

Describes the equipment that helps astronauts survive in space and stay fit and healthy.

Introduces young readers to jungles by describing how to survive if stranded in a jungle, discussing shelter, fire, finding food, dangerous animals, body protection, and rescue.

Introduces young readers to basic science concepts about the summer season, including length of days, plant and animal life, weather and temperature, the angle of the sun's path as it crosses the sky, and more.

Introduces young readers to basic science concepts about the spring season, including length of days, plant and animal life, weather and temperature, the angle of the sun's path as it crosses the sky, and more.