Get the Scoop on Animal Puke!

June 16, 2014
What do hyenas, proboscis monkeys, and vampire bats have in common? Vomit. This companion to Cusick’s Get the Scoop on Animal Poop! examines how and why various animals regurgitate their food. If the photographs of vomiting animals don’t win over readers, the colorful subtopics should, from “Toxic Puke Defense” (“When a bird eats a milkweed-feeding monarch, the bird throws up”) to “Puke Soup,” about creatures that liquefy their prey using digestive enzymes. Cusick presents the material in a (very) immediate manner, providing readers with plenty of science, humor, and animal behavior facts to chew over—and even regurgitate. Ages 7–10.

September 1, 2014

Gr 3-5-This title will be a sure hit with the elementary-age crowd. Cusick describes a multitude of animals that have the ability to vomit, along with a handful that do not, including rats and horses. She explains the biological reasons why different species vomit, such as regurgitating food for young, protecting themselves from predators, expelling indigestible objects such as bones, and more. Termites, wasps, and yellow jackets build nests of regurgitated fiber; some species vomit out their entire stomach to rinse it out. The role of vomit in disease vectors such as mosquitoes and fleas is explained, and equally horrifying is the list of living things that eat vomit. A useful question-and-answer section about pet vomit is included, along with one about human puke. The book is illustrated with attractive color photographs, and includes two reproductions of art made by houseflies vomiting on canvas. Some vocabulary will be a stretch for younger readers, but the interesting topic, attractive layout, and easily digestible breakdown of ideas will keep them engaged. There are no recent titles for this age group that address this unique topic.-Nancy Silverrod, San Francisco Public Library

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August 15, 2014
The prominent cover image of a bulldog with a pool of puke at its feet will cause kids with a gag reflex to retch, while those into the gross will chortle with glee. Unfortunately even the latter category will find this, a companion to Get the Scoop on Animal Poop (2012), to be an unsatisfactory stew. The table of contents seems to indicate a careful assemblage of digestible facts including "Toxic Puke Defense," "Indigestible Puke," "Baby Pukers" and so on. However, some comments seem incomplete or misleading, starting with one in the introduction: "You may think of puking as a bad thing: it makes your stomach hurt and smells gross. In the animal world, though, vomiting helps animals in many ways." This seems to suggest that there is a difference between humans and animals and that humans do not benefit from vomiting, yet the reasons we do are covered in a later chapter. "Puke Defense" states that some animals defend themselves and their young with vomit. Cool, but inquisitive readers will not find a definite explanation: Do they spew on predators as a weapon or on themselves to become unsavory? "Cud Pukers" introduces the concept of a four-chamber stomach, yet the role of the second chamber is not covered, nor are chambers labeled on the diagram. Some children will dig in, but most will leave it unfinished. (glossary, research source notes, further reading, indexes) (Nonfiction. 7-10)

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July 1, 2015
Addressing the ick factor first, Cusick helps readers take this initially offputting subject seriously. Her colloquial treatment, which covers subtopics such as defensive vomiting, regurgitative feeding, pellet expulsion, stomach ejection, and cud and courtship emesis (i.e., vomiting), is accessible and accurate. The numerous illustrations--mostly color photos--evince ingenious photography. Interviews with a veterinarian and a physician conclude the volume. Reading list. Glos., ind.

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