The Truth about Poop (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Elwood Smith (Illustrator) "We eat every day..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Step aside, Walter the Farting Dog. Science writer Goodman (Claws, Coats, and Camouflage) deserves a round of applause, and no raspberries, for demystifying a risky topic. With a winning combination of scientific curiosity and amusement, the intrepid author dives into her research. In a section titled "How Much?/How Often?," she gladly reveals the private matters of sloths, geese and bears. She finds that a skipper caterpillar "shoot[s] its poop... six feet" to misdirect predators, and that sharks hunt by scent (castaways should "poop in the life raft"). She chronicles human error and ingenuity in sewage disposal ("British plumber Thomas Crapper... certainly had the best name for the job" in creating the flush toilet, but was not its sole inventor), and she explores toilet paper substitutes from corncobs to a "cheap book of poetry" to "the frayed end of old anchor cables" aboard ships. In addition, she explains paleontologists' professional interest in "chunks of fossilized poop" called coprolites, suggests multiple uses for cow patties (kindling, Frisbees, bedding), discusses astronauts' euphemistic "maximum absorption garments" (aka diapers) and reveals military-strategic applications for "Dangerous Poop." While Goodman delivers the straight stuff about international and U.S. bathroom practices, demonstrating that scrupulous research can be fun, Smith (Raise the Roof!) creates vaudevillean cartoons that suggest their steamy subject but don't get too close. This scatological documentary could make a splash. Ages 7-up.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5–Chock-full of intriguing, gross, and bizarre facts about animal and human excrement, Goodman's free-range text discusses everything from Tyrannosaurus rex dung to the evolution of toilet paper. The three main sections outline animal elimination practices, the processes of human excretion and plumbing, and helpful uses for poop (e.g., for fertilizer or scientific research). While the quirky organization and lack of an index may not make this a useful resource for research, the subject matter will capture kids' attention and draw reluctant readers. Even though the cover illustration of an elephant on a chamber pot may make browsers think it is a potty-training book, the rest of Smith's retro cartoons in muted colors provide humor without being too gross. This is Taro Gomi's Everyone Poops (Kane/Miller, 1995) for the "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic) set.–Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (May 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670036749
• ISBN-13: 978-0670036745
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #473,506 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here's the scoop on poop..., October 26, 2005

By	S. Latta (Champaign, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

...it's a slam-dunk for this age group. My 12 year-old son, who generally considers himself "too old" for picture books, picked this one up and was immediately intrigued. It's got just the right blend of humor, straightforward information, and gee-whiz facts. (Did you know that the ancient Romans used pigeon poop to bleach their hair? Me neither!) The author does a fantastic job of explaining the science behind a topic that (like it or not) is of great interest to most kids. Not to mention a good many adults.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Science, May 16, 2005

By	Carol O. Hurst (Westfield, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The title is self-explanatory, and don't sniff and turn away from this one. (Pardon the pun.) It makes for fascinating reading even for the most fastidious reader. Although her touch is light, and it's impossible to read the book without grinning, Susan never goes for the cheap shot. She chuckles without smirking. Chapter headings include: Useful Poop, History of the Toilet Parts 1 and 2, Dung Dispatch, and Poop Power. Having trouble getting third or fourth graders to read a book? Put this one on the table and see how long it takes before a group of kids (probably boys) are gathered around absorbing scientific information.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Bathroom Reading !, June 8, 2004

By A Customer

The Truth About Poop is filled with just the right balance of factual
information and humor. It is listed as a book for ages 9 and up and,
while it no doubt would appeal to even younger readers (thanks to the
ageless zaniness of Elwood Smith's humorous illustrations), it will
definitely be a hit with older kids, right on up to full-blown adults
of any age.

The book is filled with oddball facts about animals and insects that
use poop as disguise, temperature control and sexual attraction. The
history of the modern toilet is covered (not with a terry cloth cover,
however) along with other inventive ways humans have found to dispose
of and use their solid bodily waste.

Many books of this ilk gravitate to gross jokes. However, Susan Goodman
and Elwood Smith have used a higher grade of humor and good taste to
create this wonderful book on a topic that is often avoided or merely
joked about.

A super pooper gift for anyone's bathroom.
The Truth About Poop is filled with just the right balance of factual
information and humor. It is listed as a book for ages 9 and up and,
while it no doubt would appeal to even younger readers (thanks to the
ageless zaniness of Elwood Smith's humorous illustrations), it will
definitely be a hit with older kids, right on up to full-blown adults
of any age.

The book is filled with oddball facts about animals and insects that
use poop as disguise, temperature control and sexual attraction. The
history of the modern toilet is covered (not with a terry cloth cover,
however) along with other inventive ways humans have found to dispose
of and use their solid bodily waste.

Many books of this ilk gravitate to gross jokes. However, Susan Goodman
and Elwood Smith have used a higher grade of humor and good taste to
create this wonderful book on a topic that is often avoided or merely
joked about.

A super pooper gift for anyone's bathroom.