October 8, 2001
"An elephant makes a big poop. A mouse makes a tiny poop," and so the text goes, describing all sorts of creatures and people who eat and thus defecate. Ages 18mos.-4yrs.
January 4, 1993
Okay, so everyone does it--does everyone have to talk about it? True, kids at a certain stage of development may find the subject riveting--but their parents may well not want to read to them about it. Here we learn that birds do it, bees do it, kids with bended knees do it. We are told about big poop and little poop, animals that poop while moving and animals that poop from a stationary position, why and where people poop--in short, we get the scoop on poop. The pictures, far from Gomi's best work, leave nothing to the imagination either. In case the message hasn't sunk in, the final spread presents a chorus line of creatures, backsides forward, each producing poop. Call it what you will, by euphemism or by expletive, poop by any name seems an unsuitable picture book subject--a view not helped by this artless presentation. Ages 18 mos.-4 yrs.