It may be smelly and gross. But poo is actually good if you’re trying to find out more about an animal.
The Clue is in the Poo and Other Stuff Too by Andy Seed is packed full of facts about poop and how you can use it to track animals.
I now know more about animal poo than I ever thought was possible. Here are my fave poo facts taken from this book:
- Blue whales can leave a plume of poo in the ocean up to 20 metres long.
- Birds don’t wee – they poop out liquids and solids in one go, which is why their poo is often so runny
- Some caterpillars stick poo on their backs as camouflage against hungry birds.
The book is not just about poo. There’s information about animal footprints, living spaces, diets, feathers and even animal skeletons.
My favourite page is in this book is all about the half-eaten remains of animals and who may have killed them. It’s a bit gruesome!
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s fun and different. However, I’m not sure how often I’ll come back to reading it in future.
Parents’ perspective
The Clue is in the Poo and Other Stuff Too is published by Quarto and priced £12.99. It’s suitably gross to appeal to kids, but sticks clear of toilet humour. Instead, the premise is all about how animal droppings and other things such as footprints can help you track an animal. This leads to the kind of interesting details you may not find in other animal books. It’s also very well-illustrated by artist Claire Almon.
Star rating:
Wild for Animals 