Hechos increíbles, repugnantes e insólitos de las momias (Awesome, Disgusting, Unusual Facts about Mummies)
From the Set Gross, Awesome History (Cosas asquerosas e increíbles de la historia)
Dry skin. Sightless eyes. Thousand-year-old dead bodies. Gross--and awesome! Egyptians aren't the only mummy masters in the world. From Chile to Papua New Guinea, and from wet, soggy bogs to the ice-cold Alps, mummies are found all over the world. Struggling and reluctant readers will be fascinated to learn awesome, disgusting, and unusual facts about famous mummies such as King Tut and how different cultures preserved dead bodies. Carefully leveled Spanish text will have kids squirming with delight as they rush to share wacky facts with their friends.
Illustrations mixed with real photos and sidebars keep kids engaged. A table of contents, glossary with pronunciations, further resources, and an index all enhance comprehension. Translated into North American Spanish.
SLJ Review of Gross, Awesome History (Cosas asquerosas e increíbles de la historia)
Historical facts can be awesome, disgusting, or both at the same time, and readers who want to know more can read this series. From gladiators and mummies, to the Middle Ages and the American Civil War, there’s a variety of information to learn. Images and infographics support the text, and bolded vocabulary words and pop-up facts, such as “People in the 1600s used mummy flesh in their medicine” (Mummies), grab the reader’s attention. Following significant events and important people in history, the text is short, and doesn’t romanticize the past “People in the Wild West dealt with terrible diseases… Fleas spread typhus… A mosquito bite could give you yellow fever…” (Wild West). The back matter has three short answer questions, a glossary and an index, and additional resources. Some of the facts are, as the titles indicate, gross, which will be the appeal to certain readers. Similar reads include the “Weird But True” and “FACTopia!” series. VERDICT For older elementary readers who love learning gross facts.