Dec 31, 2008

Poop

A Natural History of the Unmentionable
by Nicola Davies
illustrated by Neal Lagton

Over the holidays I read this amusing and very informative little book my sister picked up at the Natural History Museum in DC. It tells all about something you might not want to know much of- poop. Things such as why feces are brown (and other colors too- like pink!) why some animals eat it, how different animals use it to communicate, and what scientists learn from it- not only what animals have been eating but other info like where otters travel and how many insects bats consume per night. Poop also reveals how nature recycles all the excrement animals produce- not only is it utilized by plants as fertilizer and to transport seeds, but some insects and birds use it for building materials as well. There's a few really crazy (but true!) stories in this book, and lots of amazing and random facts about feces- the largest, smallest, and most strange. Did you know there's a sixty-foot tall monument in Cootaburra, Australia dedicated to the dung beetle? Read this book to find out why!

Rating: 3/5                 61 pages, 2004

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7 comments:

  1. Anonymous12/31/2008

    I love the book cover!
    - Stephanie

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  2. Sounds really interesting but I just don't know if I could make it through! Poop!

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  3. LOL! I haven't heard of this one, but I do remember my little brother having a book called Everyone Poops.

    Happy New Year, Jeane!

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  4. This reminds me of a book I have called Merde. I'd love to read Poop, though.

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  5. Is this book dedicated to 2008 or 2009? I'm pretty sure it is going so it must be 2008! :D Happy non-poop New Years!

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  6. Anonymous5/17/2010

    Belatedly, I was the author of the Cootaburra dung beetle hoax. Try Googlig , read the original page, look at the links, then look at the other places where it is mentioned. To be blunt, only the terminally gullible would fall for it!

    Peter Macinnis

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  7. Well, that's a pretty sad confession. I did wonder why I couldn't find any photos online of that monument to share. Makes me question what other crazy facts in this book are false, if that one is, too.

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