Review by Booklist Review
In an unexpectedly delightful shift in tone and topic from The Longest Letsgoboy (2021), Wilder gets philosophical on the subject of butts. While walking to school through a bustling city, a girl quizzes her father on whether the creatures and objects they pass have butts--not just things like lemurs, fireflies, robots, scarecrows, and butterflies, but more complex ideas as well, like does a storm cloud have a butt? What about Sasquatch? Or snowmen? Or crayons? And in response to the brilliant titular question, yes, a bulldozer's butt is quite powerful and square. This fun little adventure is told in effortlessly cadenced rhyme with witty back-and-forth dialogue between a father and daughter with dark hair and tan skin. Adding to the entertainment are Steele's weird and wonderful illustrations, which hide (Easter egg--style) outstanding bottoms on every page. We get a blobfish butt, a three-cheeked alien, baby booties, and toddler tushies galore, and Steele even gives distinct bubble butts to things like strollers, mailboxes, and movie posters. It's positively cheeky! Pair with Maki Saito's Animals Brag about Their Bottoms (2020) for bottomless fun.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
As a light-brown-skinned father and child walk to school through a city that visually references San Francisco, an important question arises: "Which things do and don't have butts?" Wilder's (The Longest Letsgoboy) "super smart and wise" Dad is totally game to dialogue on the subject, and in rhyme: "Does a scarecrow have a butt?/ Yep, you stuff him with a straw one./ And does a crayon have a butt?/ Nope, but it can surely draw one." In addition to the discussed derrieres, which range from that of the titular bulldozer to those of a Sasquatch, zombies, and aliens, readers can spot many more bottoms rendered playfully in Steele's (All Eyes on Ozzy!) ink line and bright washes. The transgressively funny concept (plus plentiful puns and mentions of tush utility) will no doubt win over the target audience, but even more important is the portrait the book offers: one of a world in which questions serve as a common bond, curiosity is amply rewarded, and variety is the spice of life. Ages 3--5. Author's agent: Jenna Pocius, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator's agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary. (May)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--A gender neutral child and father are walking to school. The child's first-person narration indicates that there are always questions, because Daddy always knows the answers, and today's question is about butts. "Does a scarecrow have a butt? Yep, you stuff him with a straw one. And does a crayon have a butt? Nope, but it can surely draw one." The child asks about every single thing and the dad answers yes in a short funny manner, not always meant to be taken literally. This pattern repeats until the end of the book. The text is simple and stands out, but the wordplay may work better with first graders than younger children. As for the illustrations, there are butts in clouds, on billboards, in apartment windows, in tree branches (formed by leaves), and it's really quite a feat--a book about nothing more than butts. The neighborhood is diverse; the child and the father have brown skin. VERDICT Yes, a bulldozer has a butt, in this comical read-aloud for children who love humor on the edge.--Margaret Kennelly
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