The Star Wars Book of Monsters, Ooze, and Slime by Katie Cook
The Star Wars Book of Monsters, Ooze, and Slime -- written and illustrated by Katie Cook
It is considered canon and I can readily accept that. I didn't come across anything that seemed incorrect or off except for "All of Jabba's Gamorrean guards share one wash tub, and they have never changed the water..." and "His servants lower Jabba into his bath and scrub the rough Tatooine sand from his...well, everything." But if that is all I have anything to complain about, then, honestly, I'm way impressed! And who knows how some of this knowledge may help me down the line...
There is an "Introduction," 4 chapters, and a "Glossary." I love how the children Star Wars books always include definitions. It really makes these books just all that more accessible to younger kids who are beginning to read so that they and not their parent are more likely to read them. Chapter 1 is "Galactic Gross-Out." Chapter 2 is "Oozy, Slimy Stuff." Chapter 3 is "Creepy Critters." Chapter 4 is "Monster Madness." Only Chapter 4 seems to really stick to any sort of theme. The other 3 are easily overlappable. Regardless, the format is pretty cool with all 4 Chapters containing many many questions about various "gross" things. And the answers are so much fun to discover!! By the way, I put gross in quotes because as you know, I love insects so I definitely don't find them gross but they do make an appearance in this book.
I will admit there's some oddly placed humor throughout that maybe takes things a bit too far which was totally weird, but might be specifically appropriate for the "typical elementary school boy." I'm not saying girls wouldn't be interested (I as a female would have loved this book when I was seven), I'm just referring to the most likely marketing demographic. So what kind of humor am I referring to? That Tauntauns smell like moldy cheese on the outside and rotting Dragonsnake eggs/Rancor mucus left out in the sun on the inside. Or how about the page that tells you Kessel is a terrible place for a vacation so "Go somewhere else for your vacation. We would recommend Alderaan, a lovely place to... ...Oh. Never mind." Yikes dude! This book even delves into the decraniated, something that just seems too spooky for the younger crowd. *shiver*...they're spooky for me!
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Images!!
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Trivia!
-Rancors use the femur bones of their prey as toothpicks.
-Termidotes are flea-like creatures who bite furry beings leading to extreme itching. Ewoks have been known to get infestations of these.
-Boosodians have 20 eyes.
-Dweezel fruit is sold on Tatooine as is Hubba gourd which seems to be like our pumpkin as it "makes a festive autumnal decoration."
-Ortolans like Max Rebo "have no mouth, so they absorb their food through suckers on their toes." I can't remember where, but I swear I already knew this fact...odd.
-Jabba's favorite food are Klatooine paddy frogs.
-Frog-dogs can pull almost 120 kg with just their tongues!
-Bantha poodoo is Bantha fodder...which is Bantha food! How have I never made this connection before?
-All four of the following sentient species eat bugs regularly: Gungans, Trandoshans, Chadra-Fan, and Anzellans.
-The biggest "bug" is the gelagrub of Felucia.
-A Tatooine rock wart is poisonous enough to take out a Ronto!
-The biggest monster in the galaxy is the Summa-Verminoth (the tentacled creature in the Maw in Solo). They are 7500m long.
-Opee Sea Killers are 20m long. Colo Claw Fish are 40m long. And Sando Aqua Monsters are 160m long.
-The Fennec Fox looking creatures of Pasaana are the Oki-Poki.
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So overall, this was an adorable yet delightfully icky book that brought a big smile to my face. I highly recommend it for beginning readers as I feel the topic and the images combined would make for a super fun ride for that age group.
-Marie E. Wilson a.k.a. @AliaMorgaine
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