Who Gives a Poop? Surprising Science From One End to the Other?
by Heather L. Montgomery, Illustrated by Iris Gottlieb
Bloomsbury Children’s Books (September 8, 2020)
Nonfiction * Science * Zoology
Audience: Ages 10-14 years old
IndieBound | WorldCat
Description from GoodReads:
This uniquely crafted narrative nonfiction invites readers to follow the author into science labs, forests, hospitals, and landfills, as the author asks: Who uses poo?
Poop is disgusting, but it's also packed with potential. One scientist spent months training a dog to track dung to better understand elephant birthing patterns. Another discovered that mastodon poop years ago is the reason we enjoy pumpkin pie today. And every week, some folks deliver their own poop to medical facilities, where it is swirled, separated, and shipped off to a hospital to be transplanted into another human. There's even a train full of human poop sludge that's stuck without a home in Alabama.
This irreverent and engaging book shows that poop isn't just waste-and that dealing with it responsibly is our duty.
Quick thoughts on this book…
When I was a classroom teacher, I had a pet rabbit. Cleaning up rabbit poo was never a fun task. I now have two cats and one of my least favorite tasks is cleaning out their litter box. Honestly, I have never been excited about poop or scat. Though I will say, I would rather change a baby’s messy diaper than clean up vomit.
Unlike my total lack of fascination with animal excrement, Montgomery’s new book, WHO GIVES A POOP? SURPRISING SCIENCE FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER , celebrates the discoveries found in the matter left behind by animals.
As I dove into the book, I was drawn to the footnotes on the bottom of the page. Montgomery writes with a strong sense of voice that mirrors who she is in person. Enthusiasm and energy jump from the page and her fascination with her subject matter makes the reader stop to read those footnotes before moving on in case that a lack of reading those tidbits of information would cause you to miss a special surprise.
From chapter to chapter, Montgomery takes readers on an adventure comprised of questions, puzzle, scientists, and more. Each chapter exploring how feces can be used to explore the health of an ecosystem and the animals living in that system or why scientists study poop and how we learn about even our own gut health from feces. Once I started reading, I found I couldn’t put the book down.
The end of the book contains an author note and a fabulous chapter by chapter list of sources. If the sources in the book are not enough, check out the 23 pages of sources here.
For some additional resources:
Check out Heather’s website here.
Heather reads the first chapter of Who Gives a Poop.
Check out this interview with Heather L. Montgomery:
And during this time of #stayhomestaysafe, consider supporting your local indie bookstores . If you are in the Pasadena (CA) area consider supporting your local indie bookstore, VROMANS.
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