If You Are a Kaka, You Eat Doo Doo: And Other Poop Tales from Nature

by Sara Martel, Sara Lynn Cramb (Illustrator)

Overview

*Selected to the Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 for 2017 list, a cooperative project of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council*

*Selected by Chicago Public Library Best Informational Books for Younger Readers of 2016*

Wombat poos are box-shaped to stay where they're deposited and serve as messages to other animals.

Baby golden tortoise beetles pile poop on their backs to create a shield as protection from predators.  Silver-spotted skipper caterpillars can shoot their poops 40 times their own body length to conceal their true locations.  Baby hoopoes squirt their poops into the eyes of attackers — and who wants feces in their faces?  Baby Ozark blind cave salamanders use gray bat guano for food.
The bottom (!!) line: Ever-inventive nature finds a thousand uses for poop.  Nothing goes to waste (!!).  This book is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser with a lot of information to share.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780884484882
Publisher:	Tilbury House Publishers
Publication date:	05/10/2016
Series:	Tilbury House Nature Book Series
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

SARA MARTEL endured innumerable close encounters with poop during her eleven years as a zoo-keeper at the St. Louis Zoo. Mostly these were from species dear to her, including the multiple fly-by poopings she received from rainbow lorikeets. She served, too, as an assistant field biologist helping with seabird research for organizations including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Sara has since written about wildlife conservation efforts for regional and national publications including Sierra, National Wildlife, Birder's World, Birding, and the Boston Globe Magazine. Her husband Rick, along with Scout the dog and Maverick the cat, heard countless dinner-time poop tales during this book's writing.

SARA LYNN CRAMB grew up in the Great Lakes region where she spent much of her time adventuring in the woods, drawing, playing with four-legged friends, and reading picture books. She has created illustrations and designs for numerous educational books, interactive signage, posters, and children's books. Sara shares her home with her husband, two grumpy turtles, a pair of mischievous cats, and far more books than one person should own. Her children's book illustrations include 50 Things You Should Know About the Human Body and Smithsonian Young Explorers Fact Book and Puzzle.

What People are Saying About This

Sasha Kramer

Who knew that poo has so many uses? If You Are a Kaka, You Eat Doo Doo is a perfect mixture of science and silliness that will make you and your child giggle and will leave you in awe of nature's genius. This refreshing book will inspire young people to think creatively about how we can follow nature's example, transforming dangerous pollutants into valuable resources. --Sasha Kramer, Ph.D., Co-founder and Executive Director, Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL)

Carrie Bassett

I work with a lot of doo doo in my job, and this engaging book impresses me with its accurate information and its colorful, kid-friendly illustrations. It will be a great fit in any curriculum! --Carrie Bassett, Education Specialist, Akron Zoo

Paul Erickson

If You Are a Kaka, You Eat Doo Doo is a rare blend of fun and science. Who knew that male bowerbirds decorate their homes with caterpillar droppings to impress the ladies, or that golden tortoise beetles fend off predators using shields crafted from poop? This book will have readers of all ages laughing and learning! --Paul Erickson, author of the NSTA/CBC Outstanding Trade Science Award—winning The Pier at the End of the World

Editorial Reviews

"International Literacy Association Readers Choice List"

ILA

2016-02-17
Who knew there could be so many words for animal poo? Feces, scat, meconium, guano, frass, honeydew—and their relatives, defecate, cloaca, anus, anal tube—not only are there many words, there are many uses for poo in the natural world. In this appealing celebration, a wide and wonderful range of animals explains how they use fecal material for communication, defense, cooling, decoration, and even food. Each spread focuses on a different species. These animals directly address readers, using the words "we" and "why" to explain their habits. Speech bubbles explain details in the digital illustrations, and an additional paragraph or two, in a smaller font, add further information. The cast of characters includes creatures from around the world. From hairy-nosed wombats to doodlebugs, there are familiar species, such as chickadees and sloths, and unusual ones, such as golden tortoise beetles, blind cave salamanders, and shoebills. Most pages show more than one creature, and each is unusually well-identified—even with Latin names—in an index illustrated with thumbnail images. The backmatter also has a glossary of italicized words used in the text, including that impressive array of synonyms, and an essay describing human uses, including the possibility of poo-powered planes. Doo-doo rush out to get copies; these will shoot off the shelves. (Informational picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews