Customer Reviews

Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Busines

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I first encountered this book when I took a Children's Literature course in college. A bestseller in Germany, it had been banned in the United States because of its subject matter, so our professor had to show us the original German book and translate it for us. After our initial shock wore off, it had our entire class of English majors in stitches!

Basically, someone or something poops on the little mole's head, and the mole (understandably upset) starts going from animal to animal asking if that animal is the one who did it. Each animal says "no" and then shows what their own poop looks like. Eventually, the mole finds out which animal is responsible, and has his revenge. This is VERY similar in style to the P.D. Eastman children's classic "Are You My Mother?" where a baby bird goes from animal to animal looking for his mommy bird - except, of course, the content is a bit more unusual for the average American parent who is used to "Goodnight Moon" or "Where the Wild Things Are." The thing is, though, kids love to learn about bodily functions - especially when they reach the age of potty training.

I actually found the book so amusing that I always kept my eye out for a copy, and years later I managed to track down an English copy here on Amazon! (Note: the original American/English title for the book was "The Little Mole Who Went In Search of Whodunnit"...it looks like they've changed the name this time around.) I ordered it to read to my young son who was 3 years old at the time. He loved it and thought it was the funniest thing ever!

I find this book more tasteful than some of the others of this type - it's matter-of-fact and doesn't try to be crude in any way. It's also educational in the sense of highlighting differences between animals. I think this is a good book to get for a child who is in the potty-training process, when kids tend to get fascinated by the elimination of body wastes...and also for kids who have reached the point where they'll appreciate the humor in the mole's quest and his revenge.

Now this book is GREAT!!!! I don't know if I should really put it in the educational category, but in fact it is - it leaves lots of subjects open for discussion with the young ones

My two daughters adore this book - it is visually rich, the story is great fun, and it is an easy read for adults and children alike. There is also, as I mentioned, a chance for discussion on issues such as why are all these animals 'business' different (as well as discussing a range of euphemisms for 'business')

The story starts with a little mole who puts his head up above the ground only to have some animal go to the toilet on his head. The mole, who is very short sighted and wears thick glasses doesn't see who it was that did this on his head so he goes in search of animals to ask. These include a dove, a goat, a pig, a cow a horse and couple of flies (amongst others) and in fact it is the flys which point him in the right direction at last.

Although I am not one for condoning revenge it is rather funny as the revenge is hardly worth the effort in the end but it makes the mole satisfied and the animal hardly notices the difference.

The drawings are gorgeous, as I said, they look like they have been done in rich colourful pastels so the animals are very alive and with excellent detail.

Kids love this book, for its toilet humour, but also for its natural biology - just why do animals have different business - it is a great introduction to talk about animal diet, circumstances, even flight of birds and things to assit. While they might not understand all the concepts it is a fun way to extend them.

Adults will enjoy this one too

This is one of the cutest books i've ever seen. Not only is it clever and charming but it actually makes kids think about their "business" in a healthy, funny way. The illustrations are adorable and help you really get a sense of the characters' personalities immediately, even if they appear only on one page. Its a short and simple little treat and I highly recommend it for kids and adults alike.

this is such a cute little story....my grandchildren loved it! they roared with laughter as the little mole set out on his quest....even though it was a little naughty even the little girls thought it was so funny......

I love this book!

Some recent reviewers have noted the message the book is trying to convey is about revenge, and that as such it sends a bad message to our children. If this were entirely true I'd be first to agree. I feel, however, there is a deeper, more positive message missed by these reviewers, and it is also related to revenge.

The final scene has our hero pooping on the head of the protagonist in revenge for the protagonist having pooped on the head of our little hero early in the story. The act of revenge comes after the mole has spent considerable time and energy tracking down the protagonist. And when he takes his revenge it hardly even registers with the protagonist what has happened - I doubt he even knew the reason for the revenge attack! This shows that the act of revenge was a waste of time, and will in no way stop the act from occurring again.

The question coming out of the story then is: How could the mole have behaved differently, in order to have a lasting effect on the protagonist? This is a question that ought to be discussed by children and others reading this delightful little book.

this was recommended to me for my toddler when she began to potty train. She still enjoys reading this. It is silly and you get to see all the animals poop. Very funny, I think I laughed more the first time I had read it than she ever has.

My son checked this book out from his school library. I couldn't stop laughing when I read it. It's hilarious! I could not believe that someone actually wrote a book about this.

I'm not going to tell you what it's about. It's more fun reading it and finding out for yourself. But, I will tell you that you will not be disappointed. It's a kids' book, but every adult I've shared it with has raved about it. You will too!

I found a pop-up book version of this at my local library. I don't enjoy potty humor, but being the parent of a 3-year old boy, I know I'm going to have to tolerate it. I couldn't care less about the fact that the book is about poop, and more power to you if it was a vehicle for opening discussion with your children about bodily functions as some reviewers have indicated.

The reason I really disliked this story is that the "hero" gets pooped on, then once he thinks he's identified the culprit, he proceeds to retaliate in kind. That is bad enough, but that he does so without confirming guilt and while the other animal is sleeping sends the wrong message.

My 2 year old LOVES this book. When you are reading to him, you can hardly believe what you are reading. A total crack up!

Am I alone in lamenting the loss of class from children's popular literature? Seriously, the plot of this story is:

1. Someone takes a dump on a mole's head.
2. He searches for the culprit, examining a lot of different animal crap on the way.
3. He finds the culprit and takes a dump on his head in revenge.

I weep for the future.