; ;

Disgusting Animals

This book attempts to draw in young readers by describing what is “gross” about a number of animals.  Although the pictures are vibrant and engaging, the descriptions of the animals are derogatory and often at the expense of other animals.  Nake Mole Rats, for example, have “gross genes” and look “like an old person.  It is bald and coverd with wrinkles.  The star-nosed mole “has a face only its mother can love.”  Many elementary schools battle bullying and belittling behavior; we don’t need books that describe animals in such derogatory terms.