Poop: A History of the Unmentionable by Nicola Davies, Neal Layton

Synopsis

A noted zoologist teams up with a playful illustrator to present a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating (if not fragrant) world of poop across species.

Hippos navigate by it, sloths keep in touch through it, dung beetles eat it . . . and most grownups would rather not to mention it. Meanwhile, scientists who study animal feces find out all sorts of things, such as how many insects a bat eats or just what technique a T. rex used to devour a triceratops 70 million years ago. However you look at it, poop is the quintessential prototype for recycling and probably the most useful stuff on earth. Take a peek at POOP and find out all you need to know — what it's for, where it goes, and how much we can learn from it.

Publishers Weekly

Insects don't urinate, but they do produce "frass." Otters elude human observers, but trackers study them by "their droppings, or spraints." "There are as many good stories about poop as there are kinds of animals," writes zoology buff Davies (Bat Loves the Night), and this informative book conveys that variety and boosts the vocabulary too. The author names the ingredients in birds' two-tone whitewash, explores the tangible qualities of cow dung and tells why peccaries (wild pigs) favor group "latrines." Resourceful termites cultivate mushrooms on their waste, and blue whales, after eating pink shrimp, "do huge pink poop that looks like giant blobs of strawberry ice cream breaking up in the water." (Ice cream lovers may opt for vanilla after this.) Davies lingers on the principle that "one animal's poop is another animal's lunch," and connects this to the circle of life: "Nature has been recycling for billions of years." Unfortunately, the best surprises get buried in the blocky, squeezed paragraph design and unemphasized gray type. Next to the matter-of-fact narration, Layton's (The Sunday Blues) slapdash cartoons mine the scatological humor of the subject. His scribbly line, soggy brown palette and messy handwriting aptly suggest the macho abandon of male hippos who like "spraying their poop... in all directions." This naturalist account complements Susan Goodman's The Truth About Poop (reviewed June 7), which offers fecal facts from human history. Ages 8-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Biography

Nicola Davies graduated with a degree in zoology before becoming a writer, producer, and presenter of radio and television programs. Her award-winning books for children include BIG BLUE WHALE, ONE TINY TURTLE, SURPRISING SHARKS, and BAT LOVES THE NIGHT. She says, "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop! I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book." Nicola Davies lives in Somerset, England.

Neal Layton has illustrated many well-received picture books, including THE SUNDAY BLUES, which he also wrote. About this project, he says, "I used pencils, paint, pens, ink, pieces of collage, photocopiers, a computer, bits of stick, an old toothbrush, dough, a cake-icing bag, and a camera to make the illustrations for POOP. I had so much fun and learned lots, too!" Neal Layton lives in Portsmouth, England.