What's That Smell?: Ready-to-Read Level 2

by Ximena Hastings, Alison Hawkins (Illustrator)

Overview

Sniff your way into the world of stinky things in this super fun book in a nonfiction Level 2 Ready-to-Read series about all the grossest things!

Did you know that some species of skunks do a handstand before they spray their stinky musk, and that their spray can hit a target up to twelve feet away? Or that leopard urine smells like...buttered popcorn? This book will focus on some of the stinkiest things on the planet, like bodily odors, animal smells, and smelly things found in nature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665920759
Publisher:	Simon Spotlight
Publication date:	08/30/2022
Series:	Super Gross
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	660L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Alison Hawkins is an illustrator based in Durham, North Carolina. As a native of Washington, DC, she grew up drawing, painting, and taking field trips to the Smithsonian. She started her career as a graphic designer and went on to work as a product designer, illustrating for apparel, toys, and greeting cards. Some of her clients include American Greetings, Universal Standard, and Discover Durham. Alison loves to explore color and hand lettering in her illustrations, as well as experiment with animation. She approaches art with a sense of humor and whimsy. She worked on children’s books The Noisy Classroom and Going Buggy!. When she is not sketching, you can find her cooking at home, hitting up a favorite coffee shop, or exploring local hiking trails with her husband and dog.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2022

Gr 1–3—Nonfiction for newly independent readers has never smelled so good! With a humorous tone, this title takes the sense of smell and provides a well-balanced introduction to the topic in an engaging way. Illustrations are photographs and cartoons, with a lead narrator, Dr. Ick, exploring where smells originate and how humans perceive them. Vocabulary is challenging, making this title appropriate for stronger independent readers; but there are supports in the form of a glossary and pronunciation guides. The book ends with a fun "Stinky Sock Test" that fortunately uses perfume, rather than a smelly sock, to test readers' olfactory capabilities. No index or sources for further research are included. VERDICT This title would be useful and fun for sharing with groups or for a class exploring the sense of smell.—John Scott

School Library Journal