Ick! Yuck! Eew!

September 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-What was life really like in early America? Readers are transported back to the 1700s for a bird's-eye view. On the first page, they "land" in a city in June 1770. As they stroll around, they learn that conditions were not glamorous. Animals roamed freely, so the streets were riddled with dung and garbage. In addition to the smell, they also dealt with the buzzing mosquitoes, creeping bedbugs, flies, and biting lice. As the journey continues, readers learn about the lack of hygiene and various diseases that were rampant. Side notes and illustrations explain in more detail such things as the smallpox epidemic, rotting teeth, and various remedies used to treat these ailments. The full-color art is a mixture of photographs and reproductions and serves to convince children about the realities of life in the early years of America. This enlightening book would be helpful for research and will attract browsers, although not everyone will appreciate its grossness.-Annette Herbert, F. E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2013
Huey, an archaeologist, explains just why time travel is not for the weak of stomach. Ah, the pleasures of a quick trip back to the 18th century--when people emptied chamber pots out of windows, free-roaming animals dumped poop on city streets, clothes were seemingly designed to be uncomfortable, and baths were rare (but infestations of lice, bedbugs, flies and intestinal parasites were not). Images of bugs scuttling over period illustrations and photos of pests and artifacts add vividly evocative notes to this rousingly unappetizing survey of the time's fashions, living conditions and (lack of) sanitary practices. The author limits her purview to North American residents of European and African descent in, by and large, urban locales and doesn't always get her facts straight (yes, there are mosquito species native to Europe). She strews her already sensational narrative with superfluous, boldface insertions of "Eew!" and "Gross!" Still, aside from one photo of a smallpox sufferer that may cross over, she ably walks the line that separates deliciously disgusting from genuinely disturbing. Riveting as well as enlightening, this is built on a largely sturdy historical base. (endnotes, annotated reading and website lists, places to visit, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)

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October 1, 2013
Grades 4-6 In this heavily illustrated book, Huey seeks to help young readers experience history through the senses of smell, feel, and taste. The bug-filled cover illustration will alert readers that the contents are indeed gross and yucky, and sensitive readers who are easily creeped out by bugs should stay away from this book. Those who like gross stuff will get a kick out of reading about the stinky living conditions, bug-infested and rotting food that people ate, the lack of dental and other personal hygiene, and other icky bits of eighteenth-century American history. The descriptions of bedbug-infested furniture and clouds of mosquitoes may set some readers scratching. If nothing else, this book should help readers appreciate refrigeration and other processes that keep our food fresh, the wonders of indoor plumbing, and even the humble toothbrushone look at the mouth full of rotting teeth should send everyone to the bathroom to start brushing. The book includes suggestions for further reading, a list of places to visit, and useful websites.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)