It is the rare children’s writer who dares to tackle poop as subject matter, but author Artie Bennett does just that with his latest picture book, Poopendous: The Inside Scoop on Every Type and Use of Poop.
Decked out as the enthusiastic Professor Pip Poopdeck, Mr. Bennett weaves a steamy story of poop (in all its smelly glory) in a delightful Dr. Seuss-ish rhyme that tickles the funny bone and educates the poop-ignorant masses.
The book opens to a few poopendously-hilarious lines, including:
Just hold your nose and come along!”
Then the exuberant Professor is off, leading courageous readers through poop-infested pages that spotlight everything from aardvark poop to bat poop (it’s called guano, in case you didn’t know). He identifies the various creative names babies use for poop–doo-doo, ca-ca, and boom-boom, to name a few—and even instructs young pet-owners how to read clues that their precious little puppy needs to make “doggy-doo.”
The subject matter may be a bit on the stinky side, but this book is adorable from beginning to end. There are lessons on monkey poop and how flinging their dung helps them decompress; there is instruction on how to recognize fly poop; and there is even a blow-by-blow (or is that drop-by-drop?) lesson on how forest animals drop their poop in various ways.
Mr. Bennett’s lively and fast-paced (or should that be poop-paced?) writing style is sure to connect with kids on that mysterious level all children’s writers dream of achieving. Artist Mike Moran brings his own poopendous talent to the table, and sprinkles each page with vibrant colors, light-hearted caricatures, and the unforgettable facial expressions of kids and animals that walk on egg shells as they navigate their way through a virtual poop safari.
Poopendous! should have no trouble performing well across many educational landscapes. Parents whose children are in the potty-training phase might enjoy helping their children thumb through this book about the glory of pooping. It might also serve as supplemental reading in an independent reading class, or teachers can use it as a creative (albeit, smelly) science or health lesson in an elementary classroom.
Best wishes for a poop-filled adventure,