31 Days, 31 Lists: 2024 Gross Books for Kids

You know, I wasn’t going to do this category this year. Seriously, I wasn’t! I had this big plan to make a couple new categories and this one, which has really only been around for a year or two. Then I looked at what I had and realized… I just can’t give you up, baby. Gross is too important to me. And gross, for what it’s worth, is something that kids actually enjoy. Now a lot of my lists are made for the gatekeepers, right? Not this one. Consider this one for the kiddos. If it’s gross, it’s gonna be here.

You can find a PDF of this list here.

If you’d like to witness the only other time I’ve ever done this list, you can do so here:

• 2023
• 2022

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2024 Gross Books for Kids

Picture Books

Haiku, Ew!: Celebrating the Disgusting Side of Nature by Lynn Brunelle, ill. Julia Patton

Prepare yourself. In this book you’ll find a world filled with fish farts, bee barf, hagfish, lobster pee and more. Hilarious and fact-filled, don’t say I didn’t warn you. There’s nothing like a good gross book for kids. Each year I try to find my favorites amongst the disgusting titles and this year I think the honor falls upon this little amalgamation of nonfiction facts and poetry. Haiku in 2024 are hot, and, again, they all seem to understand that an appreciation of nature is vital. Of course, in this particular case, that would be an “appreciation” of the fact that flamingos poop on their own legs to cool them down. Brunelle appears to be having the time of her life, and Patton’s art manages to be gross but not too too gross. I mean, you don’t want readers actually retching or anything. We always need more funny poetry, and with its factual basis, what could be funnier than this? Previously seen on the Funny List and the Poetry List.

Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle, ill. Jason Chin

Death for one whale means life for an entire ecosystem of creatures. Take a deep dive into the fascinating science behind a single whale’s contribution to ocean life. I KNEW it! I knew that there would be a really good whale fall book out for kids one of these days! No shade on other whale fall titles, but after reading this one you’ll see how it really was showing just the tip of the iceberg. Brunelle is going to give you a deep dive (forgive me) into not just a whale’s death, but some really fascinating facts about the same whale during life (did you know that you can tell how old a whale is by the rings of earwax it has?). It’s kind of unfair to bring Jason Chin into all of this too. I mean, the man’s a ringer. Once he’s on board you may as well throw in the towel and declare the book a winner. Full of facts that I can guarantee you’ve never heard before, and a wonderful circle-of-life type of storyline as well. But the real reason I was so delighted by this book? Zombie worms, baby! Adequate zombie worm usage! So gross! So wonderful.

The Museum of Very Bad Smells: A Dare to Scratch n’ Sniff Mystery by Monica Arnaldo

Ah, Monica Arnaldo. All it took was her magnificent Mr. S to come out last year and suddenly she’s the belle of the ball. And rightly! Now if you were going to follow-up a story about a Kindergarten class believing their teacher to be a sandwich, what direction would you go in? I don’t suppose you’d try to revive the old Scratch n’ Sniff genre by any chance, would you? Personally, I am very very excited about this book. As a child, I adored scratch n’ sniff titles. I feel like they really had their heyday in the late 70s/early 80s (I own a Sesame Street scratch n’ sniff that has retained its smells to this very day, which is more than a little off-putting). In Arnaldo’s case, it wasn’t enough to make her book smelly. She had to make it BAD smelly as well. The story, then, follows a mouse museum attendant who is horrified to discover that a world famous Rotten Egg has been stolen at the titular museum in question. And worse? “EVERYBODY is a suspect.” That means that you, the reader, are going to sniff out the thief. Most of the smells are bad, but not too terrible. However, I, in my infinite poor planning, chose to try out this book on my lunch break. This turned out to be a terrible terrible mistake. All I will say is that the very last smell in this book lingers. Horribly. As such, I declare this book a rousing success. And gross? You don’t know the half of it. Very accurate when it comes to dogs, though… Last seen on the Funny Picture Books List.

On Top of LInguine: An Eye-Popping Parody by Brian Biggs

So you may note that I didn’t actually include this goofball title in my board book round-up earlier this month. This, I assure you, was no accident. While I feel that this book is a true delight (and if you were a particularly rich individual, I might suggest popping one into every preschooler’s trick-or-treat bag alongside a candy or two) it works far better as a holiday book than an every-day-of-the-year book. Brian Biggs just pulls out all the stops. It’s a gimmick of course (as you turn the pages, the same shudderingly realistic eyeball appears through a die-cut in a different situation), but also a book you can sing. Warm up your vocal chords and flash back to camp, parents and teachers. The “On Top of Spaghetti” song gets a new life when a skeleton’s eyeball (they have eyeballs?) pops out of his head whilst eating linguine. Biggs doesn’t usually go in for gross, but as this book is quick to prove, he’s been denying us all these years. Here’s hoping that this isn’t a one-off and that we get to see a slew of other ugh-inducing books in the future. Previously seen on the Holiday List.

Pepper and Me by Beatrice Alemagna

When a little girl gets a scab on her knee it is NOT beautiful. Even so, she names it Pepper and she and her scab learn to live with one another, for a time. An oddly touching tale. I like ‘em weird, sure, but I also like ‘em to have an honest connection to what it’s like to be a kid. And a talking scab? Tell me more! I don’t think I’ve had a significant scab since I was a kid, but I had them ALL the time back then. A child really does have a whole relationship to their scabs too. When I first heard about this book I worried that it would have a whole friendship aspect right from the start, but instead this is much more interesting and talks about the love/hate relationship kids have with their wounds. Fun Fact: In the French edition I believe the scab’s name is “Bertha”. Utterly original. Utterly bizarre. Previously seen on the Unconventional Books List.

Pretty Ugly by David Sedaris, ill. Ian Falconer

You know that old saying not to make faces or one might stick that way? Anna Van Ogre finds out the hard way, but fortunately comes up with a truly disgusting solution in this twisted take on finding beauty within. Sort of turns the whole beauty-is-found-within trope on its head. This is a weird one and no question. You probably know Ian Falconer best as the guy behind the Olivia books. He died last year in 2023 and it makes me kind of sad to read this book. In it, he goes so completely off the rails that I can only imagine what other fun and wackadoodle books he probably had inside. This book actually elicits gasps from its readers. It is so beautifully twisted. I imagine it’s going to become quite the cult hit. If you read it, don’t say I didn’t warn you… Previously seen on the Unconventional Books List.

Space: The Final Pooping Frontier by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White, ill. Lars Kenseth

Waste in space is the focus of this hilarious deep dive into number two amongst the stars. Think we’ve always had this problem figured out? Think again. It is a simple fact of nature that if a book is written for children about pooping in space, I am going to want to read that book. And if that book is honest and somehow manages to almost rarely show any poop in the images? Oh man. I am in love. Ever since I learned years ago about the trials and tribulations of space toilets and all that they entail, I’ve been fascinated with this particular type of science. What I love so much about this title is that Space makes it perfectly clear that we STILL are not done when it comes to figuring all this stuff out. As the book itself says, “Scientists are always working to improve conditions for astronauts, whether related to their experience on the toilet or otherwise.” Try to read this and not be horribly enthralled

Sleepless Night by Micaela Chirif, ill. Joaquin Camp, translated by Jordan Landsman

This is one of the more bizarre little imports in 2024, but there’s a real charm to it. Particularly if you’ve ever been familiar with a crying baby. In this tale, little Elisa is inconsolable one night. Neighbor after neighbor after neighbor in their shared apartment building attempt to soothe or console young Elisa, all to no avail. After a horrid, sleepless night, grandma arrives. She takes one look at Elisa, declares that the child needs a bicycle, and then proceeds to bicycle the child’s legs. What happens next is unforgettable. If you thought you knew your fart books, think again. The fart in this book is epic. Explosive. Full of such power that it launches the very apartment building itself into space. And then? Sweet, glorious sleep. Oh, it’s a nutjob this story, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. One for the ages.

This Is Not My Lunch Box! by Jennifer Dupuis, ill. Carol Schwartz

A series of lunchboxes reveal some pretty peculiar contents. Explore each one and try to guess the animal that eats what’s inside. Fun, interactive, and just a little bit gross! This is really neat. It’s a nice mix of introducing kids to the different kinds of foods that animals eat alongside a good old-fashioned gross-out factor. The illustrations beautifully render every grub, maggot, and mealworm to its best angle. It reminds me of books like Hi, Pizza Man, with its keen readaloud factor as well. I particularly liked that in the backmatter it quizzes the kids on which animals are herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores too. There are a lot of programming possibilities with a book of this sort. Previously seen on the Readaloud Picture Books List.

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Older Readers

Mendel the Mess-Up by Terry LaBan

Cursed by the evil eye, Mendel can do absolutely nothing right. So when Cossacks attack his small Jewish village, can he turn a curse into a superpower? We find ourselves in a unique position with this book. Its terrible publication date dooms it to 2025 book ordering and not 2024. What to do? Personally, I found this a complete an utter hoot. It really clarified for me what a Cossack was, for one thing. It’s also an interesting take on Judaism. LeBan seems a bit reluctant to mention that the Cossacks really zeroed in on Jewish villages to terrorize, which I found odd considering that the entire book, in a sense, hinges on Mendel’s faith. By the way, I completely fell for kvatch, a drink made out of goat sweat. LaBan pranked me but good. Previously seen on the Graphic Novels List.

Power to the Parasites by Chelsea L. Wood

From the moment I first laid eyes on this book, I knew it was the one for me. Now for whatever reason, publishers like to release their grossest fare at the end of the publishing year. Maybe because they make good Christmas presents? Power to the Parasites most certainly would. Chelsea L. Wood may be a professional parasitologist but if that gig ever goes south then I would like to personally propose that she consider stand-up comedy. And you probably need a dose of humor to deal with these particular creepy crawlies. I was so pleased to discover a mix of facts I already knew and a whole slew I didn’t when I read this. For example, I remembered hearing years ago that there might be a connection between having parasites in your system and our responses to autoimmune diseases but wasn’t certain what it was. Questions answered! This book will either inspire young readers to follow in Ms. Wood’s footsteps and go into this realm of study or it will cause them to swear off the natural world for good. I’d say it’s worth the risk! Previously seen on the Older Funny Books List.

Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai

Imagine if the Dork Diaries were ghost-written by David Cronenberg. That’s what you find in this body horror-ific tale of blood, teeth, and curses gone awry. It’s a helluva thing. I doubt I’ve ever seen that much blood in a children’s book before. And the whole bugs crawling out of your face element? chef’s kiss That said, I do feel like I had to reread the ending twice before it made any kind of sense to me. We’re living in a rather golden era of children’s book horror, and this feels like Remy Lai wanted to push the envelope as far as she possibly could. The end result? Beautifully upsetting. Previously seen on the Fantasy List.

Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes that Dot Our Planet by Geo Rutherford

Generally speaking, the words “The Official Book Based on the Hit Tik Tok Series!” do not inspire a great deal of confidence. I mean, you show me the best children’s book born out of TikTok and maybe I’ll change my tune… oh. Shoot. It just happened. Because this book? It’s excellent, y’all. Now I know it’s one of those large 14 inch by 10 inch nonfiction books that are the bane of our shelves (onto its side it goes when it comes to fitting on our library shelves, amiright?) but let’s see if you can’t display this prominently in some way to get young eyes on it. I mean, it’ll definitely work during the Halloween season (they ain’t lying about the “spooky” part of this) but any time is the right time for decomposing bodies in the deep. Right off the bat I learned some interesting facts. You know The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald? Well apart from being one of my favorite songs to annoy my kids AND my mom with simultaneously (“Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the wave turn the minutes to hourrrrrs?”) I literally assumed from that song that the wreck happened in the 20s or 30s or something. Nope! Thanks to this book I now know that happened in 1975. So… pretty much right before that Lightfoot song came out. Geez. This book also has all sort of good gory stuff, like the creepy corpse made out of soap that floats in its boiler room to this day and doesn’t decompose due to the cold fresh water. If ever you wanted to read a book with topics like “Crusty Death” and “Blood Gold” and is full of itty-bitty ghosts hidden throughout, this is the one for you. Love it!

What Is Color? The Global and Sometimes Gross Story of Pigments, Paint, and the Wondrous World of Art by Steven Weinberg

We use colors all the time but what are they exactly? Join this wacky deep dive into all your favorites and their murky, dangerous, and often gross beginnings. This is color like you’ve never seen it before! Oh boy, oh boy, this is just loads of fun! I’ve seen plenty of books try to explain where colors come from individually, but rarely do I see a book try to tackle the whole spectrum in one fell swoop. Turns out, Steven Weinberg is just precisely the right guy to do it, though. Honestly, this reads like an advanced version of Jeff Mack’s Time to Make Art (and the two would pair beautifully in a presentation or display hint hint). The book is definitely aimed at older readers, but that’s part of what makes it so much fun. It’s like an inclusive Monty Python running through everything from the LGBTQIA+ flag to cow pee. Lots and lots of cow pee. To my mind it’s all worth it for the sequence on green fashion laden with arsenic and the arms reaching out saying zombie-like, “Must… wear… cool… clothes”. This is a hoot! Previously seen on the Older Funny Books List.

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So with all that in mind, here are the other lists for 2024:

December 1 – Great Board Books

December 2 – Picture Book Readalouds

December 3 – Simple Picture Book Texts

December 4 – Transcendent Holiday Picture Books

December 5 – Rhyming Picture Books

December 6 – Funny Picture Books

December 7 – CaldeNotts

December 8 – Picture Book Reprints

December 9 – Bilingual Books for Kids

December 10 – Math Books for Kids

December 11 – Books with a Message / Social Emotional Learning

December 12 – Fabulous Photography

December 13 – Translated Picture Books

December 14 – Fairy Tales / Folktales / Religious Tales

December 15 – Wordless Picture Books

December 16 – Poetry Books

December 17 – Unconventional Children’s Books

December 18 – Easy Books & Early Chapter Books

December 19 – Comics & Graphic Novels

December 20 – Older Funny Books

December 21 – Science Fiction Books

December 22 – Fantasy Books

December 23 – Informational Fiction

December 24 – Gross Books

December 25 – Science & Nature Books

December 26 – Unique Biographies

December 27 – Blueberry Award Contenders (Celebrating the Environment)

December 28 – Nonfiction Picture Books

December 29 – Nonfiction Books for Older Readers

December 30 – Middle Grade Novels

December 31 – Picture Books

Filed under: 31 Days 31 Lists, Best Books, Best Books of 2024