A Moldy Mystery

It's no mystery to me...mold is gross!

 

 

 



 

Well, once again I have learned something I didn't know before by reading a book written for children. I guess no matter how old you are, there will always be things you don't know. That certainly is the case for me when it comes to mold. The only thing I've ever known about mold is that it is disgusting but the story A Moldy Mystery written by Michelle Knuden and illustrated by Barry Gott has taught me that mold is actually a living thing and is very useful to our planet.

 

Jeff is a boy who prefers to keep things as tidy as possible ( I can totally relate) but his brother Wayne is the total opposite. Unfortunately for Jeff, he has to share a room with his messy brother and he isn't too pleased about their current living situation. When Wayne leaves for science camp, Jeff takes advantage of his brother's absence and decides to clean up Wayne's side of their room. Boy, was that a mistake. After overhearing a conversation his mom was having over the phone, Jeff discovers that before he left, Wayne was in the process of growing mold for a science project. Mold...like the nasty stuff he found growing in containers under his brother's bed. Oh no! Jeff knew this was a bad situation and calls on his friend Kayla to help him fix the problem. Jeff and Kayla do research on how to grow mold, what mold is and why mold is important. Turns out mold is a fungus that feeds off of moist foods and grows best in dark places. Mold helps to decompose dead plants and feed new ones. They find out that mold is actually a pretty cool thing and have loads of fun growing mold under Wayne's bed while he is away.

 

 

I first picked A Moldy Mystery because I thought it was part of the mystery genre but after reading it I realized that it was a science book. In a way, science and mystery go hand in hand. When trying to figure something out in using scientific methods, you are doing what detectives do; look for clues! So scientist and detectives have the same kind of job; solving mysteries!  

 

Reflective Reading

• Have you ever seen mold?
• What did it look like? Smell like?
• Where did you find it growing?
• Have you ever eaten mold (example: Blue Cheese)?

Active Reading

• Let's do an experiment!
• Find a piece of fruit in your kitchen (apple, orange or grapes).
• Put the fruit in a resealable sandwich bag with a little bit of water.
• Place the bag in a closet or drawer (and you should probably warn Mom about your project).
• Every couple of days check on your fruit to see what it looks like.
• Keep a journal of your findings by drawing a picture of what your fruit looks like.
• Pretty gross, but pretty cool!
• After about 10 days, throw away the moldy fruit otherwise Mom might have a fit!

Resources

Knuden, M. (2010.) A moldy mystery. New York;Kane Press Inc.