Who Gives a Poop?

August 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 As with her examination of roadkill in Something Rotten (2018), Montgomery takes a similarly structured deep dive into another unsavory subject: poop. Chapters begin with the author's naturalist treks or amateur-scientist dissections of scat or animal intestines (typically retrieved from roadside accidents) and the questions they pose. To find out why dogs are being trained to identify elephant scat, how fecal transplants may treat illnesses caused by life-threatening bacteria, what role whale poop plays in an ocean's health, if intestinal worms can protect the body from autoimmune diseases, and more, Montgomery turns to experts in these pioneering (or should I say poo-ineering?) fields. The result is jaunty narration, further enlivened by interview snippets and a load of fascinating and gross-out research. Copious footnotes extend both the explanations and the author's humor. Individually the chapters make engaging scientific anecdotes, but together they reveal poop's role in the interconnectedness of earth's environment. Lengthy back matter includes even more Fecal Fun Facts and annotated sources. Excrement has never been so educational.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 1, 2020

Gr 4-8-Nature and science can provide entertainment and a sense of wonderment. Young readers interested in the "ick" factor will appreciate Montgomery's exploration of all things scatological. Chapter titles include "Hunk of Tongue" and "Poo-Poo Choo-Choo." Montgomery's descriptive, engaging prose makes readers feel as though they are front-row companions on her scientific journey: "The air between us almost prickles. Me, the animal lover with a bird pendant hanging from my neck. Him, the trophy hunter with real heads hanging from his wall." The footnotes are extensive, but at times are personal and humorous, adding an inviting tone. Gottlieb's expertly drawn illustrations are spare. The annotated bibliography is thorough. Overall, Montgomery provides a well-researched read. Children will delight in the gross factor and deepen their understanding of the scientific process. VERDICT This narrative stomp through animal poop is equal parts informative and grotesquely fascinating. Highly recommended for public and school libraries.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine P.L., WI

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2020
A biologist digests her own observations and those of other researchers studying poop's properties, products, and potential. "Once I put my poo goggles on," the author writes, "I found fecal fun everywhere." Picking up more or less where her Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkill (2018) left off, Montgomery continues to convey her devotion to decomposition with breezy visits to labs and landfills, conversations with scat specialists, and thoroughly detailed up-close and personal notes on encounters with dead animals, guts, and writhing intestinal fauna. Piling evocative chapter heads like "Hunk of Tongue" and "Stool to Fuel" atop essays redolent with puns and double-entendres, she adds unusual nuggets of insight to her disquisitions on fertilizers and fecal transplants: the significant role dinosaurs and other prehistoric "megapoopers" played in seed dispersal, hints that certain parasitic worms may be as good for us as certain species of intestinal bacteria, and the notion that artificially preserving endangered species isn't automatically a good thing. Along with occasional diversions to, for instance, point out the environmental impact of palm oil's near ubiquity in our food and consumer goods, she further indulges her wide range of interests in footnotes on nearly every page and a closing resource list bulging with analytical commentary. Neither the scanty assortment of photos nor Gottlieb's decorative pen-and-ink vignettes include human figures. A well-stirred slurry of facts and fun for strong-stomached "poop sleuths." (index, activities, synonym chart, annotated bibliography) (Nonfiction. 11-14)

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