CM Magazine: Who Did It?

________________ CM . . . . Volume XXI Number 14 . . . . December 5, 2014

cover
Who Did It?

Ohara Hale.
Brooklyn, NY: POW!/PowerHouse Books, 2014.
Board book boxed set, 50 pp., $14.95.
ISBN 978-1-57687-681-7.

Contents:
Who Sneezed?
Who Burped?
Who Farted?
Who Peed?
Who Pooped?

Preschool-kindergarten / Ages 3-5.

Review by Valerie Nielsen.

*** /4

According to the publisher of this little set of books on the five least mentionable bodily functions, "Who Did It? is a set of funny little board books that teach kids about bodily functions and how to deal with them in healthy and polite ways."

Each of the books deals with one function, featuring a comically graphic depiction of animals and insects engaging in the activity and ends up with a child practicing correct hygiene. On the back of each book, there is the polite response to each burp, fart or toilet accident, which is, of course, "Excuse moi!".

     Who Sneezed? covers proper and courteous snot control.
     Who Burped? covers the polite way to release air from our bodies.
     Who Farted? explores the topic of gas and how to handle it.
     Who Peed? deals with the place, time and proper hygiene on urination.
     Who Pooped? advises on potty performance and clean-up.

Ohara Hale is a Montreal-based artist who, according to her blog, "...draws, sings, writes and loves to make: music, comics, weird jokes, new friends, trips to bookstores and crazy fun adventures". Her delight in challenging propriety leads her often to "pushing the envelope" artistically. Such appears to be the case not only in the Who Did It? collection but also in much of her work which may be found all over the Internet in galleries and bookstores.

Hale's bordering-on-scatological humour and whimsical illustrations certainly will delight the three to five-year-old crowd who engage with the Who Did It? set of books. Parents and grandparents will enjoy giggles over the bathroom humour with small listeners in a cozy one-on-one setting.

As to the question of whether the set is suitable for inclusion in the elementary school library as a read-aloud, the following remarks made by a six-year-old after hearing the Who Did It? books may provide a hint.

Adult: "So I guess you liked the books, because you laughed quite a lot."

Child: "Yeah, there was some pretty funny stuff in them."

Adult: "So what do you think would happen if your teacher read them to your class?"

Child: "Well...I guess the kids would laugh too much and the teacher would probably get mad."

A strong stomach for descriptive illustrations of bodily emissions is also recommended for adult readers who take on Who Did It? as bed-time (or any time reading)!

Recommended with Reservations.

A retired teacher-librarian, Valerie Nielsen lives in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364 Hosted by the University of Manitoba.