The kids meet the stamp licking lizards and the postal bats at the Postal Tomb, then they go through the skull shaped gates to the Marshville Trash Yard to see the trash chomping gators. Miss Witchafred turns out to be loads of fun. The dreadfully surprising field trip, wicked gossip and boogered spells are side splitting funny.  Ed Newmann's hilarious illustrations, formed with graphite pencil and india ink, add visual details you want to look at again and again.

At the end of the book is a wonderful recipe to make your own swamp-goop...it's icky!  It's sticky! It feels exactly like the bottom of a swamp - not the top layer, but deep within the bottom ooze.  It will provide hours of fun, forming your own monster characters.

Read this story aloud at family time, and discuss the damage that gossip can do and the importance of not listening to rumors. Conversation topics can cover the value of good student-teacher relationships.