Kids will love this.

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Whose Poop is That by Darrin Lunde is a children's book about scat with a fun title which intrigued my six year old grandson. This picture book contains seven different scenarios revealing the animals responsible for the various piles of poop. Short and less smelly than the outdoor experience, I wish the illustrations had matched the scientific bent of this particular endeavor. However, for those enchanted with excrement, there are plenty of "Animal Poop Facts" on the 32 pages with a paw print to help identify the animals along with "The Scoop on Poop". Perfect for those in the early elementary years, although too simplistic for older kids, even adults should expect to have their knowledge of animal droppings challenged. Three stars.

A thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Happy New Year!

Have you ever been walking in the woods and wondered, "Whose poop is that?" Darrin Lunde can help. In Whose Poop is That? he give examples of several animals' poop, beautifully illustrated (ok, not really beautiful. . . . It is poop, after all.) by Kelsey Oseid.

It's short, it's simple, but it does introduce the rather interesting concept of the role of poop in nature. Lunde helpfully advises the reader, however, "You should never touch poop." Because some kids need to be told that.





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

I'm a bit back and forth on this one. On the one hand, I like informational books about the outdoors. It's a noble thing, teaching children about nature. It is visually appealing (and how often can you say that about illustrations of poop) and informative. Lunde does more than just tell us what animal left each poop. We also learn a little about why the poop looks that way. My hesitation comes with the selection, the amount of information. I wanted more animals, more instruction. It's not enough information to be a field guide nad slightly odd to be read as entertainment.

There’s no way this book won’t be popular. Kids love books about poop. This would really be good for the littler kids. There’s actually a lot of information packed into the book.

Perfect for your future zoologist! (5 stars)

What small child doesn't have a great curiosity about poo? I honestly can't say I've met a kid who didn't want to know about it or at least tell me a joke about it. My own kids included. But there are plenty of books about the human kind, so how do you identify some of the animal droppings you discover while out and about?

While this book certainly won't serve as a database it has really terrific facts about why animal poos have the unique shapes, sizes, and content that they do. I'm a little embarrassed to be writing this but even as an adult I was pretty engrossed with the knowledge that was new to me. I really don't want to spoil the one that became the fascinating favorite with my 7-year-old and myself but suffice it to say that if you read this to a kid who loves science I foresee much Googling images of animal feces in your future. (This was pretty cool and not as disgusting as it sounds, I promise).

Not sure what more I can say to convince you teacher, parent, or cool aunt/uncle that this is a book the young reader you share this with will enjoy it. I mean, it's a book about poop and animals and science, a combo that rarely lets me down.

Kid's will love this book! Anything about poop or pee is an instant hit and kids, being curious, want to find out all they can about such "gross" body functions.

Lunde asks the question, "Whose poop is that? " Then through text and illustrations answers that question. He has chosen seven kinds of animals to highlight: fox, African elephant, panda bear, owl, Galapagos tortoises, gull and the extinct ground sloth.

He exposes the animal's food habits and the end results coming out the other "end". For example...


“Whose poop is that? It has a bunch of splinters in it,” Lunde asks, opposite what looks like a pile of pickles. The answer: a panda. “A panda eats mostly bamboo,” he continues. “A panda has to spend most of its day eating in order to get enough energy.”

He cleverly has included at the back of the book some further information, "The Scoop on Poop", and "Animal Poop Facts." The illustrations are done in simple pen and ink and gives the reader a greater understanding of the subject matter. Two fun facts he includes in poop facts are:

"A rabbit sometimes eats its poop in order to digest its food twice", and a wombat's poop is square."

Who knew? Poop identification is very, very interesting indeed.