Review by Booklist Review
Addressing audiences still in or recently out of diapers, Meisel emits an elemental info dump based on the notion that every creature poops somewhere. Ant and Beetle poop on dirt, he begins, Monkey and Squirrel from trees, and Grasshopper on a leaf. This all leads up, of course, to pages of preschoolers and the leading question: "Where do you poop?" Following views of discreetly posed children sitting on toilets that are billed as, parenthetically, the place to pee, too, he closes with a deposit of facts about what poop is, how much of it elephants can produce (300 pounds a day!), and other nuggets of natural history. Except for the children, the smiling, naively drawn figures in his illustrations are all posed with small, single pellets dropping tidily from their butts. More reflective (or ready) young poopers may get the message, but even if this doesn't lead readers to the loo, it makes a low-key alternative to the baldly naturalistic likes of Darrin Lunde and Kelsey Oseid's Whose Poop Is That? (2017) or Taro Gomi's classic Everyone Poops (1993).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Toddler-PreS--In a field filled with gendered books about toilet training, this refreshing title stands out by encouraging all children to see pooping, and by extension the use of the potty, as a universal, cross-gender, interspecies need. Lively illustrations in acrylic ink-on-paper are accompanied by sparse text, with each illustration depicting an organism defecating. The portrayals are comical and not scientifically accurate, focusing not on the action but on the location the act takes place. The only difference between an ant, a monkey, an alligator, and a child comes down to one question: "Where do you poop?" The title draws toward a fitting conclusion while accompanying illustrations feature a racially inclusive cast all using the potty because "You poop here!" Included at the end are fun facts about poop and a short primer on what it is. VERDICT An excellent first purchase for anyone looking to expand their potty learning collection, and an ideal complement to Taro Gomi's classic Everyone Poops.--Jessica Caron, Bancroft Sch., MA
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A parade of animals pooping in their natural habitats leads to human toddlers proudly sitting on the potty. No, this isn't a rehash of Taro Gomi's classic Everyone Poops (1993), though the approach is similar. Rather than competing with that standard bearer, Meisel (My Stinky Summer by S. Bug; rev. 7/20) offers a complementary exploration of animals' toileting habits, all in service of showing young potty trainees that, well, everyone poops. Meisel focuses on where animals do their business: "Monkey poops from a tree. And Squirrel poops from a tree. Grasshopper poops on a leaf. And Bear poops on many leaves." In all, eighteen smiling creatures from a variety of habitats poop on uncluttered pages. A simple line of text accompanies each cheery illustration. After "Jaguar...and Sloth poop in the rainforest," a double-page spread featuring toddlers (most holding toy animals) asks, "Where do you poop?" The following spread provides the answer in text and art. "You poop here!" shows happy kids on toilets and potties. Two pages at the end briefly explain what poop is and provide a few crowd-pleasing "Fun Facts"; e.g., "Elephants can poop as much as three hundred pounds a day." Everyone Poops will always be number one, but You Poop Here is a solid number two. Kitty Flynn November/December 2020 p.127(c) Copyright 2020. 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
This introductory guide to the wide and wonderful world of potty training is presented through the medium of wildlife. Cheery cartoons of insects, mammals, birds, and beasts show precisely where they loose their bowels. The simple text reads, "Ant poops on dirt. / And Beetle poops on dirt. // Monkey poops from a tree. / And Squirrel poops from a tree." Some poop in the air, some under the sea, some on mountains, and some in deserts. The gently anthropomorphized cartoon critters beam out of the page as they deposit their waste hither, thither, and yon. While potty books abound, Meisel's stands out in its unvarnished directness and respect, simple words and pictures speaking directly at the level of young children. Following the exploration of wild animals' defecation habits, the book asks: "Where do you poop?" In answer, Meisel shows racially diverse children sitting on different types of potties as the text reads, "You poop here! / (And pee here too!)." Simple facts and trivia about poop appear at the end. A godsend for caregivers on the prowl for potty-training aids, the book does not strive for scientific accuracy in its depiction of animal feces, most of which appear as scribbly brown lumps on the page, or defecation postures. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 28.4% of actual size.) Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated toddlers will be able to do it thanks to this gentle guide. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
