Why Do I Poo?

We all poo and grow, and most of us will have, at some time or another, sneezed, bled, drooled or had an itch. These are all ordinary life events that we may just take for granted, never really questioning “why?” we do them or why they happen. Children who read the six books in the “Why Do I?” series, however, will come away with new understandings, especially in terms of how the focal subject matter of each book contributes to a person’s health. As has come to be expected from books in Crabtree series, this title has an opening table of contents and a closing page containing a brief glossary of words highlighted in the text and an index. All books in this series are illustrated with cartoon-like art.

Why Do I Poo? takes readers through the steps of poo’s creation, beginning with the food we eat and then proceeding through how it’s broken down in the mouth before being swallowed. Holmes succinctly explains that poo is what remains after the body has taken all the useful nutrients from the food. Readers must turn the book 90 degrees to see a double page spread headed “JOURNEY OF POO / HOW DOES PIZZA BECOME POO?’ This labelled cutaway diagram of a cartoon human body follows a slice of pizza through the six steps of its eventual transformation into poo. Holmes also addresses two other waste products, “pee” and “gas” (Why does she not use the word “fart” given that she’s been using the informal terms for excrement and urine?) Constipation and diarrhea are addressed briefly along with the advice that a parent or caregiver should be informed if the child reader experiences either.

In that same health vein, Holmes invites readers to “Rate Your Poo!” against seven types she describes with accompanying cartoon illustrations. If children compare their poo with “the perfect poo”, a long, smooth sausage shape, then they will know whether they need more water or fiber in their diet and when the poo’s appearance requires an adult to be informed. The book’s substantive content closes with two pages of poo trivia and a matching game where readers are to “match the poo to the pooper”. While it may be interesting for children to know that owls regurgitate pellets containing the portions of its prey that it cannot digest, things like bones and hair, to suggest that the pellet is synonymous with poo is unnecessarily misleading; owls also defecate.

Given the high “gross” rating of its subject matter, Why Do I Poo? is sure to be a hit with large numbers of its intended audience who will come away with a good introductory understanding of the alimentary canal (a term that appropriately never appears in the book).