Smelly
History: Mouldy Mummies by Mary Dobson
is the "smell-o-vision"
version of a mummy book. Almost every two-page spread is complete with a
scratch-n-sniff spot guaranteed to keep the reluctant reader scratching,
sniffing, and reading. Interspersed throughout are lots
of fun (that is, gross and disgusting) facts involving mummies, smells,
and pharaohs' feet. For example, you can get a "cheesy
whiff" of Tutankhamun's little "tootsies" or (supposedly)
a pile of "cat's
grease and gazelle dung" that was used to keep rats away from
homes. The book won't win any awards but it might lead a
child to read something more serious. The smells may be intended for the
"Dumb and Dumber" crowd but the writing is anything but. From Oxford University Press, no
less (that's why "Mouldy" follows the English spelling)!
