Review by Booklist Review
There's quite a lot here to digest. In a mix of rhymed general statements and, in smaller type, pithy prose explanations, Kurtz drops nuggets of information about what poop is, how the excrement of a dozen types of zoo animals differs in shape and composition, what said animals do with their poop in nature, and the many ways zoos (and gardeners) study and recycle all those tons of zoo-doo. She closes with the provocative observation that more intelligent and socialized primates tend to fling their poop with more accuracy than their duller cohorts as, perhaps, a form of communication and self-expression. Reflecting what young readers will be doing by this point, Black illustrates the author's final sally with a troop of heartily laughing monkeys. In fact, all the creatures in these brightly colored cartoon illustrations, even the earthworms, are smiling. So are most of the notably diverse cast of human workers (a few pooper-scoopers look understandably beleaguered), as befits both the topic and the tone of this fresh scoop on poop.--Peters, John Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Kurtz (Planet Jupiter) playfully delves into the diversity of dung found at the zoo in her latest picture book. "A wombat's poo is cube-shaped, so it isn't very roly. / Some snakes poop only once a year. They digest their food sloooow-ly." Simple rhyming couplets deliver the facts, with accompanying sentences providing additional detail (e.g., "Wombats are highly territorial. They each deposit 80-100 droppings every evening as a signpost to say 'I'm here.'"). The first half of the book discusses how various creatures take care of back-end business, while the second describes how zoos manage all that manure (much of it is trucked to landfills, while some is composted into "Zoo Doo," among other things). The brightly colored, cartoon-style illustrations by Black (Barnyard Boogie!) add levity, as hippos grin, sloths smile, and bats beam. Poop of various sizes is buried, sniffed, squirted, weighed, and even thrown. Young readers going through a bathroom-humor stage should enjoy the topic and the book's light tone but, whether appreciative, awed, or grossed out, all will come away informed. Ages 3-8. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-This nonfiction read-aloud for the younger set will have kids in giggles. Each page features rhyming text that describes a different animal's waste product, with more information at the bottom of the page. Kurtz also details exactly what zoos do with all that waste: take it to the dump, use it for research, or sell it as compost. The rhyming aspect makes this an excellent choice for preschool students. Insightful details about animal poop strike a smart balance between amusement and fact-based trivia (e.g., wombat poop is cube-shaped). Black's high-contrast, bouncy artwork accurately depicts the narrative and will enhance readers' understanding. The playful geometric digital illustrations pop with color and have a lot of kid appeal. Human characters appear only briefly. While not an in-depth study, kids will be having so much fun they won't notice they're learning. VERDICT A humorous addition to most nonfiction collections.-Richelle Rose, Kenton County Public Library, KY © Copyright 2018. 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
A zoo might have to deal with more than 5,000 pounds of poop each dayquite a waste-removal challenge. In the first half of the book, Kurtz describes the feces of familiar zoo animals, emphasizing the wide variety of textures, shapes, and smells of animal poop in a lighthearted yet information-oriented manner. Key animal behaviors or features of poop are highlighted in the main rhyming text at the top of each page (A wombats poo is cube-shaped, so it isnt very roly. / Some snakes poop only once a year. They digest their food sloooow-ly), while additional information can be found in secondary prose on the bottom (Because their bodies are so efficient, snakes poop less often than almost any other animals). In between the text blocks, the friendly, smiling zoo creatures and their dung are displayed in colorful cartoonlike images. Midway through, the focus shifts to the efforts of zoos to collect, dispose of, recycle, and study animal waste: So what do zoos do / with all that poo? Young naturalists may be surprised and gratified by the answers. danielle j. ford (c) Copyright 2018. 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
Countless zoo books line the shelves, but how often does one discuss animal manureand how a zoo discards it?Employing the page turn to great effect from the very start, Kurtz is bound to get youngsters' attention: "At zoo after zoo / the animals chew. / And then // they poo!" Quick rhymes in boldface type across the top make simple statements about each animal's toilet habits. "Sloths creep down from trees to poop, / but only once a week. / A penguin shoots its poo out / in a fishy-smelling streak." Smaller text below offers more in-depth facts: "Why do sloths spend so much energy leaving the protection of trees to poop on the ground? It's a mystery scientists are trying to solve." Black's wide-eyed, expressive animals have personality, but they never cross over to cartoony garishness. After exploring 12 different zoo dwellers, Kurtz then turns her focus to the large amount of poo that accumulates at a zoo every day. What do they do with it? Much is trucked to landfills, but zoos also study it in labs to help understand their animals better. Plus, there are compost options and even elephant-poo paper! A slapdash ending is the only misstep, but the atypical subject matter will surely shine.A scatological success. (Informational picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
