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That's So Gross! - Take II

What is wonderful to one may be gross to another. Take Duck, for example. He thinks pink soup is gross while his friends think it's just grand. And while Oscar the wiener-dog thinks his costume is ghastly, his human feels it's fabulous. Are pirates in need of an orthodontist endearing or icky? What about eating up a bad day — literally? You decide what is wonderful, wonky, or just plain gross as you read about things real and fantastic.

Quotable Quotes: The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go. -- Dr. Seuss

Delicious! A Pumpkin Soup Story

By: Helen Cooper
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Poor Duck.The soups that Squirrel and Cat are making are just so gross! Beet soup? Mushroom soup? All ughs! But a happy solution is created which is the same color of Duck's favorite — pumpkin soup. A recipe for delicious sounding "pink soup" is included for eaters more adventurous than Duck.

I Love My Pirate Papa

By: Laura Leuck
Illustrated by: Kyle Stone
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

A bulbous little boy and his buccaneer dad share a day afloat on their pirate ship shouting things like 'avast!' and generally enjoying all of the gross things that pirates do. But as the boy is tucked into bed, his Pirate Papa reminds him that there’s nothing more important to him than his little pirate boy!

I'm Dirty

By: Kate McMullan, Jim McMullan
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Umm! growls the bodacious backhoe loader as he gets dirtier with each pile of trash he gathers as he cleans up a vacant lot. The countdown from 10 to 1 is gross, alliterative, and sure to engage children who enjoy things that move (not to mention yucky!).

Julius' Candy Corn

By: Kevin Henkes
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Julius' mom is making cupcakes with candy corn atop for a Halloween party; Julius is told not to touch them. He doesn't, but does count the candy corn — as he eats them! Crisply lined illustrations stand out on each sturdy page as Julius (some may recognize him from Julius, Baby of the World) tastes the best part of the cupcakes — before guests arrive.

Minnie and Moo and the Haunted Sweater

By: Denys Cazet
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Bovine buddies Minnie and Moo are getting ready for their farmer's birthday. They give him their last cream puff — leaving it in his slipper…and the sweater they've made seems to be haunted! And where is Elvis the rooster? Nothing could be grosser than stepping into a cream puff or wearing a sweater that talks, but it sure makes a funny tale!

Mrs. Biddlebox: Her Bad Day and What She Did About It!

By: Linda Smith
Illustrated by: Marla Frazee
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

What do you do when you're in a funk and full of the grumblies? Well, you can take that gross, dark day and bake it into something sweet. And like Mrs. Biddlebox, you can eat it to make your tummy full of tasty crumblies to enjoy the starry night before bedtime. Energetic lines and a jaunty rhyme reveal a fresh way to look at bad moods.

Oh No, Gotta Go!

By: Susan Middleton Elya
Illustrated by: G. Brian Karas
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

It's Sunday and the family is on an outing in the car, when the mama hears the dreaded, "Oh no, gotta go" — and so begins the frantic search for a bathroom. The romp is funny and fast, with words in Spanish and English that turn a familiar experience into an introduction to another language.

Pirates Don't Change Diapers

By: Melinda Long
Illustrated by: David Shannon
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Braid Beard's band of pirates has bad teeth, bad breath, and bad manners — and now, in order to get their treasure they have Jeremy Jacob's baby sister with a dirty diaper. Shiver me timbers and aargh! It's enough to gross out a grown pirate! This fantastic adventure is fun, fast — and not a little odiferous.

The Hallo-wiener

By: Dav Pilkey
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

It’s hard enough for Oscar to be a "wiener-dog" (you know the kinds that are twice as long as they are high). Add a really dumb, gross Halloween costume, and the other mutt's behavior toward Oscar deteriorates even more. That is, until Oscar saves the day in this funny, off-beat, canine Halloween tale.

The Perfect Cat-Sitter

By: Ann Whitehead Nagda
Illustrated by: Stephanie Roth
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Susan agrees to pet-sit while her good friend, neighbor, and classmate is away. What Susan doesn't count on, however, is all the gross stuff that critter sitters sometimes have to deal with. With gentle humor, Susan learns a great deal about herself and how to handle not-so-nice jobs.

Wiggle and Waggle

By: Caroline Arnold
Illustrated by: Mary Peterson
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Of the more than 2,000 kinds of worms in the world, Wiggle and Waggle are likely the most engaging. As the worm friends tunnel in the vegetable garden all summer, they sing a little song to make time go by quicker, have a picnic, and then get ready to hibernate when the growing season is finished. An easy to read text makes these rather gross characters quite appealing in text and illustration.

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