The Search for Vile Things, Volume One

Not just for boys, this book is a wonderful, informative, and entertaining gift. I really love the fabulous illustrations by Marilyn Scott-Waters!

This is definitely not your average children's book. It's written as if it were Darwin's or Cousteau's personal diaries of their findings. A fictional group of explorers in the East Indies introduces the reader to many vile things. From flowers that smell like rotting meat to sea slugs that vomit on their prey, this book is not for someone with a weak stomach. There is much information that I was never taught in school that is quite interesting. This book's perfect reader would be a boy over the age of 10. I find that boys think gross things are much "cooler" than girls think they are. It contains large vocabulary and more complex content for the beginning reader to fully grasp. Kids will surely have questions while reading, so this is a great book for parents to read with their children. The drawings are extremely well done. They are colorful, playful, and imaginative. This book also contains funny drawings done by the explorers themselves and poems about the vile things they find on their adventure. Reviewed by Jennifer LeBrun

This book is charming, original, and entertainingly vile. It's great for kids who like to say "ick!" who will likely say in the next breath "more, more, more!" I learned about all kinds of critters I'd never heard of before. The story is delightful and the illustrations by Marilyn Scott-Waters are lovely, beautifully colored and a pleasure to view. I also LOVED the "kid's drawings" (by one of the characters) that were interspersed throughout.

The Search for Vile Things is a beautifully illustrated book, full of the best kind of information for fans of the gross in nature. I had no idea there were so many strange and interesting plants and animals in Indonesia. The little boy Maldred's drawings are roughly charming throughout, and provide an excellent counterpoint to the beautifully accurate and delicate renderings provided on every page. This is an excellent book for teaching children about life science and observation, without making it seem like teaching. This is a fantastic gift book for any young inquisitive mind.

Once again, Jane Hammerslough makes the unlikely, odd, and yes, vile, elements of nature fascinating and funny. My son loved her book Owl Puke and couldn't wait for Christmas to get his hands on Vile Things.