The Truth is Sometimes Stranger than Fiction

Readers, would you like to read some unusual books? Then I've just the two for you this week. Both books are published by Ten Speed Press. Beware that one book will leave you itching and the other doesn't belong in the hands of children.

Furtive Fauna: A Field Guide to the Creatures Who Live on You by Roger M. Knutson was published in 1996. As the title implies, it discusses all the creatures that make the human body or their dwelling their homes. Let's take a look at just a few of them:

According to the author,

Many kinds of ticks are perfectly willing to use us for food if they find us and many of them can lie in wait for years, hoping something edible wanders by close enough for them to climb aboard. [page 11]

Most North Americans know that the deer tick can care Lyme disease. This disease alone is serious enough for everyone to make a practice of looking for ticks when they come in from being outside in their yards, local fields or woods. You'll have to read the book to learn more about the relationship between ticks and man.

Head lice are familiar to many parents of elementary aged children. I'm sure you've seen the ads for shampoos to kill them. Unfortunately, when we get a letter about an outbreak of head lice in a classroom, some people make the assumption that some "dirty" child must have brought them to school. Knutson states:

Head lice are commonly related to who you spend time with rather than your approach to soap and water. Head lice positively thrive on a clean scalp, and unpleasant as they are, they should not be directly connected to filthy habits.[page 54]

This gives you just a taste of the contents of this book. I suggest you wait until after eating to read the book. It just may destroy your appetite for the next meal. Also, as I learned the hard way, it doesn't make good bedtime reading either. I itched all night when I tried to read it before bed! I do strongly recommend this book for your elementary or middle school children. They love the gross things and will enjoy sharing some of these facts with their friends.

Toads and Toadstools by Adrian Morgan was published in 1995. This is definitely not a book for the average reader. The book discusses how we have come to associate toads/frogs and fungus. This book presents folklore surrounding toads and fungus from many world civilizations..

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