Beyond impressed with this children's nonfiction book. Kids who are interested in "gross" stuff like worms, mold, and bugs will want to check this one out, and kids who are grossed out or even have a phobia of these things would surely be comforted to learn about how the gross parts of nature are here for a reason - to break down nutrients so new life can grow. The illustrations are both beautiful and fun, and the text is brilliantly written to help kids understand complicated topics. I actually learned a ton from this book myself! I would 100% recommend for a children's library or science class.

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. This book is amazing. Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for an e-arc to read and review honestly. I went right away upon finishing to pre-order a hard copy.

The illustrations are so beautiful! They're a wonderful, whimsical balance between realistic and artistic. I love, love, love that this book doesn't shy from death or the gross in the art, but is still in a beautiful color palette and drawn to encourage awe and wonder and respect.

It's easy to read, easy to read-aloud with kids, and well organized. My 5 and 7 yr old boys LOVE books like this, even though it's marked for an older age group. This would make a wonderful addition to the homeschooler's library! I get so excited about kid's books that are a delight for the adult who purchase and teach them, and this book is a perfect example of what that can and should look like!

The World of Rot would be a great book for any library to carry! The information in the book is really interesting and will definitely be fascinating for elementary and middle grade kids to read about. The book is easy to follow and the colored illustrations add a fun visual element.

This book can be used for school research reports and/or for just regular fun reading! It’ll make a great addition to school and public libraries!

Like other reviewers, I was drawn in by the title as my current class are fascinated by all things disgusting.
As an adult, I learned so much from reading this book. It is jam packed with interesting information which is carefully broken up into short, digestible chunks. I was intrigued by the amount of decomposition which happens all around us without us even noticing! The illustrations are charming and will certainly appeal to an wide audience base.
I can't wait to share this!

This is a super childlike and clever way to explain to them the process and backstory surrounding decay and decomposition! It’s a fun educational outlet for kids who like the unique. Plus the illustrations are lovely and so abstract!

Extremely well done! Great colourful design, with a wink. Perfectly understandable, bite sized informations that feel complete but not overwhelming. Including a wide range of critters, fungi and bacteria, as well as processes, newest scientific research knowledge and even fun experiments to do. Not only great for kids but also grown ups. 5 out of 5 stars!

Wow, what an unique book. This is geared towards children and explains everything about decay and decomposition in the natural world. The art style is really unique, I don't see anything like this often. There's good explanations of biological processes involved in breaking down material. A quick read, not for the youngest of children, but kids around age 8-10 interested in nature and biology would find this entertaining.

This was a fun look at the breakdown of matter and the circle of life the many factors that help in the breakdown of living matter, as a kid I was so obsessed with decomposition I needed this book then. The kids will find this fascinating. Put this to use and create real-life activities for the kids; they will love it.

The art style added to the earthy tone of the book and made the reading experience even more enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read the ARC for this one. The content was interesting and presented in an understandable manner for young readers. The illustrations were beautiful even though the topic could be a bit gross.

The World of Rot is a gross book in all the best ways. Its focus is on decomposers in every environment from sea to land. Some decomposers made me squirm a bit, but it’s wonderful to know that every living organism has an important job to do keeping our planet clean.
I think this book is great for the late elementary to high school. It has a variety of vocabulary that can be used for classroom discussions.
I also enjoyed that the author provided some experiments for the extremely curious crowd. I would recommend this book and use it in my own classes and publish the experiments for students to do with their families.

I would like to thank #netgalley, author and publishers for providing me an ARC

This absolutely fascinating and beautifully illustrated book tells the reader all about the creatures that live among us - from dung beetles and slugs, to crabs, pill bugs and sea cucumbers. Presented in a wonderfully interesting manner that will appeal to any curious individual from childhood through to old age. Every day is a school day, and this book even provides some experiments for seeing how things that help rot/eat rotten things work and change.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A nonfiction book for kids about decomposition, what it is and why it is important. Fun illustrations help illustrate some of the more gross facts.

A great book for kids that want to explore how things rot! It was surprisingly scientific which was great as I thought it was going to be more surface level. Both me and my kids learned new things! The illustrations were also brilliant and fitted the theme so well.

I very much enjoyed reading this book! Other readers will enjoy it as well, especially if science and nature are appreciated.

As the title says, the book is all about rot and how it is decomposed with help from so many animals and insects. I promise it will make you think twice about what is happening the next time you see roadkill. This is a wonderful book to read out loud to kids. The illustrations are colorful and detailed that will draw in attention to see what the author is telling in the facts.

As a homeschooler, I can see this book becoming a full unit study because of so many topics. I noticed at the beginning of many of the paragraphs there are questions asked, which allows for thought and engagement from young readers. I can tell that the author wanted to mention as many decomposers as possible with meticulous factual information. It was done so greatly and everything was easy to read and understand.

A definite recommendation!

who would have thought I'd be describing a book about decomposition as cute!

the illustrations are just so awesome and quirky. such an informative and fun book that will change the way young children see the world around them

This was a pretty cool book.

It’s more for late elementary/middle school children. My 12 year enjoyed the book. There were parts where he was squeamish, because boys, but outside of that, he enjoyed the book a lot.

There was a lot of info in this book, even down to how decomposition happens in more than just nasty/gross places. The depictions were pretty awesome too.

This is def a book I’d keep on the book shelf.


We volunteered to read this ARC through NetGalley

An informative book about "life after death," this book will make young readers consider how living organisms continue to contribute to the ecosystem after their death. The book is packed with vibrant, somewhat abstract illustrations that lend themselves to the subject matter. A must read for kids interested in all things nature.

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the colorful pictures and quirky introduction by the author, a self-titled "former kid'. I think this would also attract kids in grades 3 - 5. I liked how the first few pagestakes the time to define an important word in the text, for example, "compose" and to give examples of how the word could be used in different ways.

The illustrations throughout the text help the readers to see exactly what is being described and I enjoyed seeing how the words used in the text do not baby the readers. Actual scientific terms are utilzed and defined when needed. Describing compost as a "recipe for rot" takes an ordinary scienfitic process into and turns it into a fun activity for the kids reading the book. I especially involved the pages on how we use "rot" in our foods uch as blue cheese and tofu.

I would recommend this book to any curious child or teacher of science.

Delightful book about the creatures that help to break down rotting materials. Beautiful illustrations, fun and interesting scientific facts for kids and adults, along with cool experiments. I learned a lot about organisms I often see, such as slime molds and snails, along with others I learned of from the book, such as snow fleas. Recommended.

Such a great book for kids as it is informational and entertaining all at the same time! It teaches kids how decomposition works and makes it a fun experience!