Review by Booklist Review
Toilets our most fascinating home device? Probably it's rather magical how everything just disappears, isn't it? In his signature squiggly style, Macaulay pulls back the curtain to show just how it all goes down (so to speak). Whether it's the family dog's bone, a dead goldfish, or human waste, the toilet makes it disappear. Clever toilet. The main event here is the authors' annotated cutaways of toilets, showing how the handle pulls the stopper and so forth. Despite the easily understandable text, some concepts remain a bit elusive, though things get clearer and even more interesting when we move on to rural septic tanks, big-city sewer systems, and wastewaster treatment plants. Boldfaced vocabulary words would've helped readers refer to the closing glossary (though some intriguing words, like scum and digester, aren't defined). While not as successful as Castle: How It Works (2012), this is high-interest stuff done in a just-humorous-enough way. Pair with Elizabeth Raum's The Story behind Toilets (2009) for some extended bathroom reading.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-A unique nonfiction offering that deals with human waste in a way that most other books have not. The topic of toilets could go in many directions, and this book addresses a number of them. Readers learn the biology of why people need to use a toilet, how it flushes, and where the waste ends up. Ever wonder how septic systems and sewers work? Look no further. Overall, this is an informative look at a technology that everyone uses and most people take for granted. At every step of the way, Macaulay's engaging ink and watercolor illustrations and cutaway diagrams help to explain the text. This is a challenging read full of sophisticated and specific vocabulary, yet it is one that inquisitive youngsters and science-oriented kids will be drawn to. A boon to those looking to beef up informational offerings to meet Common Core standards.-Trina Bolfing, Westbank Libraries, Austin, TX (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Clear step-by-step directions and unobstructed diagrams and cross sections outline how waste is produced by the body, disposed of through the inner workings of a toilet, sent to either a septic tank or urban sewer system, and purified. But weve got more than poops and pipes in this beginning reader/early nonfiction chapter book. Macaulays humor is evident from the cover (tiny people starring up at a giant, well, throne, cordoned off by red velvet ropes) and continues on the first page. Everybody knows what a toilet is for is accompanied by pictures of a dog drinking from the potty, a goldfish on its way to the giant bowl in the sky, and a spring garden (flowers in an abandoned commode). With this attention-grabber, the extraneous whimsy ends, but the humor continues. A spigot placed at the end of a human bladder emphasizes that here is where the body empties liquid waste, and conversation balloons allow bacteria to crack jokes while on their way to septic tanks or sewage disposal systems. If diagrams are the language of science, then Macaulay reminds readers that while such language is precise, it can also be lively. A fascinating exploration of design, both human and mechanical. Appended with a glossary, index, and recommended further reading and websites. betty carter (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A perfect blend of humor and clarity--in text and in artwork--explains the anatomy of human waste, the mechanics of a flush toilet and the subsequent treatment of waste in septic and sewer systems. Cartoony images of three toilet bowls--one being used by a thirsty, shaggy dog, one surrounded by a somber family with a dead pet goldfish, and one heaped with flowers, shown outside a home--adorn the first page of the book, along with this opening sentence: "Everybody knows what a toilet is for." Genius Macaulay, with Keenan's (unspecified) assistance, continues this tongue-in-cheek romp with clever drawings as he also carefully discusses such scientific facts as the function of bacteria in breaking down waste; the physics behind the tank, the bowl and the siphon; and the role of wastewater treatment plants in the overall water cycle. Cutaway views aid in showing exactly how various systems work, while unique visual angles of everything from human organs topped with eyeglasses to a bird's-eye view of a bustling city encourage viewers to venture beyond reading literacy to art appreciation. Even readers who received fastidious toilet training and admonitions against potty humor will let down their guard and find this book both informative and entertaining. (glossary, resources, index, author's notes) (Informational early reader. 7 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
