The Scoop on Poop
Categories: Nonfiction , Children's Books
Potty humor is big in the world of popular children’s literature—from best-sellers like Captain Underpants to Walter the Farting Dog, who now boasts a fabulous plush representation, complete with sound effects. Some are referring to the genre as “poop fiction.”
"You've got to give kids something they want to read," says Glenn Murray, co-author of the Walter the Farting Dog books, who firmly believes that his smelly, but well-meaning protagonist has become an ambassador for literacy.
It would seem that kids agree, since the genre's books regularly appear on children's best-seller lists.
Interestingly, this trend appears to be on the move- expanding to encompass children’s non-fiction books as well- books about everything from the history of social customs to poetry to fossils. What’s more- the information in these books is fabulous!
Well written children’s non-fiction, most with wonderfully witty illustrations that kids actually want to read? Take a moment to look beyond the outrageous titles and peek at what this once taboo genre has to offer:
Flush!: The Scoop on Poop throughout the Ages- Tour the history of human waste in rhyming verse! The text, heavy on potty humor and gross details, takes readers on a journey from the time before toilet paper and the very first toilets (8000 B.C.) to those of today, including the kinds astronauts use. Discover unknown uses of urine, read about Louis XIV's habit of holding meetings on a toilet shaped as a throne, learn that Elizabeth I rejected the first mechanical toilet, and more.
What You Never Knew about Tubs, Toilets, and Showers- In the Middle Ages, St. Francis of Assisi listed dirtiness as a sign of holiness... But by the mid 1800s clean was in. The early Greeks and Romans were among the first to build public baths and toilets. One of the biggest Roman baths held three thousand people at once -- and everyone went naked! But when those empires fell, so did the standard for cleanliness. It would be 1,400 years before bathing came back into style. Newbery Honor-winning author Patricia Lauber and artist John Manders team up again to tackle the dirty business of getting clean for an overview of excrement and the evolution of its disposal. Yucky? You bet!
The Truth about Poop- With a winning combination of scientific curiosity and amusement, this intrepid author Susan Goodman 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. 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.
Gee Whiz, It’s all about Pee- In this sequel to the wildly popular The Truth About Poop, Dr. Susan E. Goodman and cartoonist Elwood H. Smith bring their humorous touch to a book that's bursting with absorbing potty filled information and entertaining illustrations. From history (Civil War belles hoarded urine for making gunpowder), to animal science (when lobsters fight they squirt each other with pee from bladders on either side of their eyes), and even espionage (scientists are using urine to classify "odortypes" that will identify individuals as accurately as their fingerprints) it’s a browser’s delight sure to engage the kid in all of us!
How Underwear Got There- I see London, I see France, I see a whole book about underpants! How much do you know about your undies? Discover the impact of underwear on world history. Filled with facts, fascinating anecdotes and hilarious illustrations, this silly historical romp examines the science, fashion, and social impact of those all-important undergarments. Did you know King Tut was buried with 145 pairs of underwear??? From boxers to bloomers this undercover exploration has something for everyone.
Jurassic Poop- The gross out factor is only part of the appeal in this hilarious, fun-filled, informative, and only occasionally smelly introduction to fossil feces. How does poop get preserved? What can it tell us about dinosaurs, humans, and other animals from the past? Hold your nose and journey through time with real life dung detectives to solve the mysteries of what was left behind, literally.
