cover image The Really Fearsome Blood-Loving Vampire Bat

The Really Fearsome Blood-Loving Vampire Bat

Theresa Greenaway. DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley), $9.95 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-7894-1029-0

...FOR THOSE WITH STRONG STOMACHS Tapping into the ""gross"" craze, The Really Horrible Guides are a likely bet to churn the belly and fascinate the foul-at least, they use a horror-movie-style approach to exploring nature. The titles of the first four books tell the story: The Really Fearsome Blood-loving Vampire Bat; The Really Hairy Scary Spider; The Really Wicked Droning Wasp; and The Really Horrible Horned Toad. The publisher's trademark use of close-up photos reaches a whole new level; disbelievers should check out the picture of the bluebottle fly, described as dining on dung, rotting meat ""and your sandwich-unless you watch out!""