Poo, spew and other gross things animals do! by Nicole Gill and Romane Cristescue. Illus. by Rachel Tribout

The title of this new release, Poo, Spew and other Gross Things Animals do! will immediately appeal to so many children who are fascinated by all things gross. The contents page contains eight chapters with headings that include: Animal Grossness, Poo Detectives and World’s Grossest Animals Revealed. The two authors are introduced at the beginning of the book and while both come from different career backgrounds share a passion for conservation. Scientific names of species are highlighted in italics and words in bold are further explained in the Grossary (Glossary).

Each chapter has captioned photographs and humorous illustrations by Rachel Tribout. The comprehensive information is clearly set out and easy to follow. Here are a couple of examples that the reader may be fascinated by in the Love is Gross chapter.  Male Capuchin monkeys when attracting a mate take a wee-wash for the females to inhale their extra strong scent and female lobsters wee on the face of their love interest! In the Grossness as Self-defence chapter, we are informed that sperm whales poo to confuse predators and that adult turkey vultures use vomit to defend themselves when threatened while nesting. On a very prestigious note, Australia can claim to have the animal with the world’s thickest wee – spinifex hopping mouse. Apparently the wee is almost solid!

Throughout the book are Scientist Profiles of several very clever people who talk about their careers. At the end of the book is a page of how to say ‘poo’ in different languages as well as acknowledgments, an index, and picture credits.

There are just so many new and incredibly enthralling facts to learn throughout this book and children will love sharing them with their friends and grossing out the adults in their lives.

Teacher's notes are available from the publisher.

Themes: Animal Biology, Life Cycles, Ecosystems, Scientists, Facts.

Kathryn Beilby