Description
Book SynopsisBaby golden tortoise beetles pile poop on their backs to create a shield as protection from predators. Silver-spotted skipper caterpillars can shoot their poops 40 times their own body length to conceal their true locations. Baby hoopoes squirt their poops into the eyes of attackers -- and who wants feces in their faces? Baby Ozark blind cave salamanders use gray bat guano for food. The bottom (!!) line: Ever-inventive nature finds a thousand uses for poop. Nothing goes to waste (!!). This book is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser with a lot of information to share.
Trade Review"Who knew there could be so many words for animal poo? Feces, scat, meconium, guano, frass, honeydew—and their relatives, defecate, cloaca, anus, anal tube—not only are there many words, there are many uses for poo in the natural world. In this appealing celebration, a wide and wonderful range of animals explains how they use fecal material for communication, defense, cooling, decoration, and even food. Each spread focuses on a different species.
These animals directly address readers, using the words "we" and "why" to explain its habits. Speech bubbles explain details in the digital illustrations, and an additional paragraph or two, in a smaller font, add further information. The cast of characters includes creatures from around the world. From hairy-nosed wombats to doodlebugs, there are familiar species, such as chickadees and sloths, and unusual ones, such as golden tortoise beetles, blind cave salamanders, and shoebills.
Most pages show more than one creature, and each is unusually well-identified—even with Latin names—in an index illustrated with thumbnail images. The backmatter also has a glossary of italicized words used in the text, including that impressive array of synonyms, and an essay describing human uses, including the possibility of poo-powered planes. Doo-doo rush out to get copies; these will shoot off the shelves. (Informational picture book. 5-9)" -- Kirkus
"International Literacy Association Readers Choice List" -- ILA
