A funny and fact-filled look at decomposition in all of its slimy glory, illustrated with dazzling full-color art by Gilbert Ford. Vultures, fungi, dung beetles, and more aid in this fascinating and sometimes smelly aspect of the life cycle that’s right under our noses. What’s that terrible smell? It’s the revolting scent of rot. But being rotten isn’t necessarily bad. If nothing ever rotted, nothing new could live. Decomposition may seem like the last stop on the food chain, but it’s just the beginning. When dead plants and animals decay, they give life to a host of other creatures, and each one helps ecosystems thrive. Decomposition happens in the forest, the ocean—even in your stomach and between your teeth! From vultures and sharks to bacteria, maggots, mushrooms, and more, discover the dirty rotten truth about one of nature’s most fascinating processes. Gr 3-6-Rot in all its forms is on ­delightfully disgusting display in this introduction to decomposition. The text is mostly in the form of short standalone sections with intriguing titles like "How to Eat Dead Stuff" and "The Guacamole That Refused to Die." The tone is humorous and informal throughout, clearly relishing the gross-out factor of dead, moldy, or stinky things. Whimsical cartoon illustrations add to the silliness and make no attempt at scientific accuracy. Full-bleed illustrations and spot art depict such things as bespectacled worms grooving to a concert, a beetle cooking up a pot of dung, and a fly tucking its larvae under a blanket. A small number of activities are included (not to mention a faux scratch-and-sniff panel that makes a point about aerobic decomposition). VERDICT­ Fun for pleasure reading and factual enough to satisfy science teachers, this title is recommended for anywhere young people take an interest in nature, compost, rot, and renewal.-Sarah Stone, San ­Francisco Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. " Even readers who don’t buy the claim that "decomposition can seem . . . almost magical” will come away appreciating how artfully nature moves in cycles." - Booklist " Librarians who are “decomposing” their science collections in the interest of promoting fresh growth will want to take a look at this title." - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books "Thankfully, most stuff rots. This colorfully illustrated effort is aimed at a grade school audience that's sure to be appreciative of an oft-stinky subject." - Kirkus Reviews " Rot in all its forms is on ­delightfully disgusting display in this introduction to decomposition." - School Library Journal Anita Sanchez is an environmental educator and the award-winning author of many nonfiction books for children, including  Itch!: Everything You Didn't Want to Know About What Makes You Scratch , Rotten!: Vultures, Beetles, Slime, and Nature's Other Decomposers ,   and Hello, Puddle!  Visit Anita online at anitasanchez.com.  Gilbert Ford is the illustrator of picture books such as Mr. Ferris and Wheel and Soldier Song, as well as numerous covers for novels for young readers. His illustrations have appeared in books, magazines, newspapers, toys, billboards, and advertisements. Visit Gilbert online at gilbertford.com.