Nature’s Yucky! children’s books
All four of our Nature’s Yucky! books highlight the creepy behaviors and disgusting facts of animals in four habitat regions.
Why focus on yucky stuff? Because it grabs the attention of young readers so they can learn that even the most nasty behaviors serve a purpose: to help animals survive.
Karen, left, and Lee Ann, right, after a successful swimming with whale sharks expedition, off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
About Us
Lee Ann Landstrom is the retired director of Eastman Nature Center with the Three Rivers Park District in suburban Minneapolis. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s Degree in Ecology. She is currently a board member of her local National Audubon Society chapter. She likes international travel to see birds, wildlife, and exotic habitats. Lee Ann enjoys bird watching, gardening, biking, photography, snorkeling, and giving travelogue presentations.
Karen Shragg is a retired naturalist and nature center director. She has been a pre-school and elementary school teacher as well. Karen now runs MUSEC LLC (Move Upstream Environmental Consulting) where she helps clients work to save wildlife and other conservation issues. She holds Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees, all in education. When not writing children’s books Karen can be found in her garden, on her kayak, or bird-watching.
Featured Books
$10
$12
$12
Contact Us
naturesyuckybooks@gmail.com
Schools
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one hour
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What should we know about the services you provide? Better descriptions result in more sales.
Libraries
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What should we know about the services you provide? Better descriptions result in more sales.
Book stores singings and quick readings
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What should we know about the services you provide? Better descriptions result in more sales.
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What should we know about the services you provide? Better descriptions result in more sales.
"Thanks for your wonderful Nature’s Yucky books. I found your book during the first months of the Covid challenge while on a short trip to Sedona…we live a couple hours south near Phoenix. I really enjoyed reading part of book 2 to send to my twin grandchildren several months ago.
This lead to the four year olds exclaiming, “eeeow that’s yucky!” whenever they saw something gross. Of course, I followed up by purchasing the other 2 books within a couple of months."
— Fern in Arizona
A mother came into Wood Lake Nature Center to find the other co-author of Nature's Yucky, Karen Shragg. She told me she had gotten a copy from Lee Ann Landstrom years ago because she was a neighbor of Lee Ann's parents. Her toddler demanded she read the first Nature's Yucky book to her every night for months on end. That toddler is now about 13 and declared that she still has fond memories of growing up with Nature's Yucky. SO nice to hear.
On an international video call, a 4 and 7 year old told their great aunt how much they liked the Yucky books. (Their dad does as well). When asked what was the yuckiest thing, the 7 year old told her that it was definitely bee spit. And he claimed he couldn’t eat honey knowing it was bee spit. Since he is known to LOVE honey, his mother said that she was now always going to offer him “bee spit”.
—expat Michelle in France
(Karen and Lee Ann are always glad to get fan mail and to know how Yucky! changes minds and attitudes. Keep on reading!)
A quote from Ms. Geraldine Nelson, while purchasing Yucky! 3. "My daughter-in-law doesn't especially like the books' contents, but my grandson loves them". Indeed, boys (and girls) love the gross factor, while adults twinge. But many an adult has told me while perusing the books, "I didn't know that". So the books are educational for both kids and adults.
Yucky! videos
This video was made during COVID years as a submission to the Minnesota State Fair’s Alphabet Forest initiative: Minnesota authors on how their children’s books relate to the Fair.
This video is part of a book release party skit. The new book is Nature’s Yucky in the Sea.
Here are Lee Ann and Karen demonstrating how to make our Yucky cookies from the recipe found in the first book.