Bottoms Up!: A Book About Rear Ends [Hardcover]

Marilyn Singer (Author), Patrick O'Brien (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

What has one of the most feared rear ends in the animal kingdom? Why are baboon bottoms red? How does a chicken lay an egg? These are just a few of the intriguing questions that are answered in this informative picture book about the incredible things animals--from honeybees to horses--can do with their great posteriors.

In their friendendly, accessible style, Marilyn Singer and Patrick O'Brien get to the bottom of bottoms. The result is a fascinating examination of form and function in the animal world.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5A"Female baboons and male mandrills look like they've put makeup on their butts....When dogs greet, they sniff each other's butts....Elephants sometimes pee and poop when they greet." Double-page entriesAa page of text facing a full-page illustrationAexplain how 13 animals use their backsides to communicate, lay eggs, weave food traps, spray enemies, or meet other life needs. Singer acknowledges that "We all know that everyone poops." Many children will chuckle at recognizing a popular book title here. They will probably break into giggles at the repeated use of the frank terms. At this age, the guffaws may interfere with serious reading of the simple commentary introducing a variety of animals and their social and physiological practices. Most will be familiar, with the hornbill, forceps fish, and sea cucumber representing lesser-known species. The hornbill's use of colored preening oil is lost in the awkward rendering of the big-beaked bird, but otherwise the modicum of information and O'Brien's quasi-realistic paintings offer an interesting sketch of each creature. A useful addition to the myriad books about animals.AMargaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-6. Those familiar with Everyone Poops (1993) thought that book broke new ground. However, it is barely worth raising an eyebrow over when compared to the information in this cheerful book about behinds and their uses. Each two-page spread introduces an animal and its bottom. Readers will get to know the baboon and its colorful behind, used to attract mates; the bee and its barbed rear end; and the elephant, which can be identified by its feces. Each page of text has a jaunty introductory paragraph that is sure to grab attention: "When is a head not a head? When it's a forceps fish's rear end." Or, "When people greet each other, they may say hello, hug or shake hands. When dogs greet, they sniff each other's butts." The information that follows is to the point, clearly explained, and fascinating. The artwork is slightly less successful. It is colorful, big, and bold (considering the topic, it would have to be), but some pictures, such as the cover art--a rear view of a hen--are markedly better than others, like the depictions of the baboons. Anyway, will kids love this book? Does everyone poop? Ilene Cooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805042466
• ISBN-13: 978-0805042467
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,622,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx (New York City) on October 3, 1948 and lived most of her early life in N. Massapequa (Long Island), NY. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University.

In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides, and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories, and in 1976, her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.

Since then, Marilyn has published over eighty books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored.

Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling that says, "Hi. How are you? Sweet Birdie. Okay!" Her interests include ballroom/Latin dancing, dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, playing computer adventure games, and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.

Marilyn is the former host of the AOL Children's Writers Chat and currently co-hosts the Poetry Blast at various conferences. Visit her web site: www.marilynsinger.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very unique animal book for inquisitive young readers., July 14, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bottoms Up!: A Book About Rear Ends (Hardcover)

Bottoms Up! isn't another book about bodily functions per say, but a survey of animal bottoms and their varied uses. From setting traps to zapping enemies, spiders, skunks, and other animals are the focus with Patrick O'Brien adding realistic drawings throughout.