Grossology: The Science of Really Gross Things

Grossology

by Sylvia Branzei, Jack Keely (Illustrations)

A classic of modern gross scholarship.

Complete with hilariously disgusting illustrations and fun activities, this guide to all things gross covers everything from barf to farts to scabs. Discover the science behind the sickeningly cool stuff that comes out of our bodies!

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Childrens, Picture Books, Humor, Reference

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Sylvia Carol Branzei-Velasquez is the author of Grossology, Animal Grossology, Grossology Begins at Home and Hands On Grossology. She is the originator of grossology, or the idea of teaching science through gross things. Grossology has also become a museum exhibit, a calendar, a CD rom, and soon a television show. Virtual Grossology was also released, which is the original book with sounds and smells.

Sylvia is a 41 year old, former science teacher living in Northern California with her husband, three dogs and two cats. She is a board member for the Leggett Unified School District, a columnist for a local paper, and a writer. Performing gross stuff at museums, universities, and school often takes her out of the woods and into various cities and towns.

Before devoting her life to grossness, Sylvia was a science teacher at a remote school in Mendocino County, California. She taught science to the entire school from kindergarten through high school. Considering the entire school only had about 60 students, it wasn't very hard. Whale Gulch School is probably the only school in the world where every student knows how to make fake snot, fake blood, and fake wounds. Beside Whale Gulch School, Sylvia taught science in various junior high and high schools throughout the years.

Previous to teaching at Whale Gulch School, Sylvia was a freelance editor and writer for the Secondary Science division of Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. She wrote many enrichment features and full page activities for Insights, the middle school science series, and Biology, the high school science text. She also wrote all of the enrichment features for Environmental Science.

In addition to writing and editing at Addison-Wesley, Sylvia Carol worked as a curriculum designer and teacher trainer for Project Create, an elementary school environmental education project based in Oakland, CA. Finally, Sylvia Carol taught after school enrichment courses at Edison Elementary School, Alameda, CA for kindergarten through sixth grade children. The courses she designed and taught include Loonie Balloons, Grocery Bag Science, Abracadabra Science, and Earth Guardians.

From 1988-1991, Sylvia Carol was outreach coordinator at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California-Berkeley. During her tenure at the Lawrence Hall of Science, she traveled throughout northern California and western Nevada presenting workshops and assemblies in schools. (Basically, she blew things up, made slime, and performed other chemcial magic.) She wrote an assembly program entitled "Strange Changes: Is it Chemical or Physical?" which is still presented in elementary schools. Sylvia also designed courses and workshops for the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Sylvia Carol's writing experience includes co-authorship of "The Soap Opera," Science on Stage Anthology, a play about the chemistry of soap. She authored several articles that appeared in The Science Teacher, Science Scope, Partners in Education, and Creation Spirituality. She wrote curriculum guides for NASA-SETI and for the Department of Energy.

Sylvia Carol received her B.S. degree in Microbiology from the University of Michigan in 1980. She received her M.A. degree in Science Education from California Polytechnic University in 1986.

Other assorted info:

- originally from Michigan, three sisters, mother was a teacher moved to the North coast from Oakland, CA
- four step children, age 16, 17, 19 and 22
- husband is a web designer and the computer tech
- sang in several bands from folk to rock that played in the San Francisco Bay Area, currently singing in a band named Spin Cycle
- lives off-grid, so home is powered by solar and generator, heated by wood

Reviews

[Jack Keely]

I can't believe that it's been over 20 years since GROSSOLOGY by Sylvia Branzei entered my life. I blush to give this book 5 stars since I illustrated it. But since it's the most popular book I've ever been involved with, I will indulge in a little shameless self promotion and give it a rave. Adding my slightly subversive scribbles to Sylvia's words definitely changed my life and enhanced my career.
Sylvia's brainstorm was to take basic body science facts that might appear in a standard kid's health book and put them into the kind of format that a young reader would find irresistible. The chapters are divided up into "Slimy, Mushy,Oozy Gross Things", "Crusty, Scaly, Gross Things", and "Stinky, Smelly, Gross Things". Even reluctant readers tend to devour the book because it's funny and wind up learning science facts along the way. The publisher referred to this as "stealth learning". Apparently it works. GROSSOLOGY has been translated into French, German, Spanish, and other languages. It has also inspired a traveling interactive museum exhibition. The book is ideal for any kid (or adult) with an interest in science and a wicked sense of humor.

[Michael Blair]

I love book

[Shirley]

Thrifted this little nugget from my childhood, and I was so pleasantly impressed by how informative and in depth this book was even as an adult! What started as a nostalgia-fueled goof, turned into a fun learning experience. I was obsessed with anatomy and physiology as a kid, and those interests still follow me as an adult who apparently used way more grossology in my career in cosmetics than I thought I would.

[Chris]

Great book for boys!

[Sonja]

A great book, simple explanations for fairly complex bodily functions, this grandma knows even more cool stuff now!

[Mariana]

this changed my life as a 4th grader

[Deanna]

A thin book for kids that I loved as an adult and actually learned a lot from. It focuses on our everyday gross things like burps, farts, poo, pee, and more. It was cute and funny and informative.

[Sierra Bitsie]

I got this book when I was in elementary school and I've loved it ever since! I'm not much of one for the gross-out factor, but this book is just gross enough to be intriguing while still teaching some really important information about bacteria and basic hygiene. This is the first book where I learned about the mist of pee that covers everything in your bathroom if you flush the toilet without the lid closed and I've never flushed with the lid open again - yuck!! This book not only has a lasting educational impact but it also gets kids super engaged. This is a must-have for any classroom library!

[Casey]

I bought this book this weekend at Goodwill, thinking it looked familiar... and it was! I remember reading this nasty book in grade school and LOVING it! It really is gross, and uses a lot of thick descriptive words about pooing and snot... I have a sneaking suspicion that my thrid graders would love it though. It is packed full of facts and really interesting information, but is completely nasty!

[Lacy Lovelace]

I loved this book as a kid! I was so excited to find it online and be able to get it! I'm normally a squeamish person but this was actually very fascinating! If I was still a science teacher...I would definitely use this in lessons. The only thing I wish was that it was longer! I learned a lot from it!

[HeavyReader]

Tony dumpstered this book for me, and I was really excited.

It's all about all the "gross" human bodily secretions and functions: farts, snot, pus, piss, and poop, to name a few. You might say "Yuck!" but you'll probably learn something if you read this book.

[Ali Hembree]

I loved this book as a child. This is a book explains all the gross things about our boy and why they happen. Kids love nasty things and so they will be very interested in learning why these gross things happen in our bodies. It would be appropriate to students in 3rd-5th grades.

[Beth]

I'd have loved this book as a kid. Basic descriptions of gross body stuff presented with humor. Also saw the corresponding museum exhibit recently so this was a nice reinforcement. My kids both enjoy this (3 yr old likes the pictures).

[Sparrow]

I remember looking at this book at the Covina bookstore when I was very young, but never had the guts to ask to buy it :) it was really fun and informative to read. I wish I could read the other ones in the series, but they aren't at the library.

[Siskiyou-Suzy]

This book is actually really interesting and contains a lot of information my grown-up self liked. Yes, it's geared towards kids who are in the stage where anything gross is hilarious (when does that stop?), but it's also interesting.

[Jennifer]

A fun book everyone should read!

[Tafura Tasly]

nasty facts

[Lauren]

My lovely cousin Sylvia wrote this book. I loved it when I was younger and, as a result, I know a ton of weird facts about gross bodily functions, many of which I can still cite today!

[Indah Threez Lestari]

962nd - 2011

Buku ini membahas dan menjelaskan hal-hal yang menjijikkan tapi merupakan bagian dari kehidupan kita sehari-hari.

Jijik sih, tapi pembahasannya lucu dan asyik!

[Heather Ligman]

great for struggling and reluctant readers! boys will especially get a kick out of this book. science related.

[Ratforcekids]

Grossology by Sylvia Branzei is a book that describes the science behind all that is gross (boogers, flatulence, etc.) and is a favorite science book amongst boys.

[Kinsey Johnson]

this book was gross and fun to read

[Kitty Tomlinson]

Gross things about your body and more ideas for preteen summer programming.

[Samantha]

I mean, this book answers a lot questions about bodily fluids and functions which I'm sure are vital for everyone to know.

[Melissa]

After visiting the Grossology exhibit at the Witte Museum earlier this summer, I thought this might be a fun read.

[Khushiraju]

grossology is a really good book and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something to do with your body

[Julie Taylor]

This book contains gross facts about bodily functions.

[Ari]

This series was such an important part of my childhood