Is It Okay to Pee in the Ocean?: The Fascinating Science of Our Waste and Our World

by Ella Schwartz, Lily Williams (Illustrator)

Overview

Longlisted for the 2024 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books
Longlisted for the 2024 Green Earth Book Award

Get the facts you'll really want to know when you really need to go.

Why do we pee? Is pee just yellow water? Is the ocean a giant toilet bowl (eww!)? If you've ever wondered about your body's waste . . . urine luck! This book is all about pee: from why and how we do it, to its effects on our world.

Explore the human systems that make pee happen, tackle environmental questions about the impacts of human waste, discover surprising uses of urine throughout history-like in mouthwash and skin creams-and even try out at-home, hands-on experiments (with no bodily fluids required, of course!).
With engaging black-and-white-illustrations and just enough ick-factor, this engrossing (and sometimes a little bit gross) book gets to the bottom of an oft-ignored part of the science of life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681195131
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	02/21/2023
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	527,913
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ella Schwartz is always asking questions and learning new things. She writes books for kids who are just as curious as she is. She is dedicated to encouraging more young people, especially girls, to explore STEM fields and is the award-winning author of Can You Crack the Code? and Stolen Science. She lives in Long Beach, New York. ellasbooks.com

Lily Williams is the author and illustrator of the If Animals Disappeared nonfiction picture book series and graphic novel Go With The Flow (co-written with Karen Schneemann). She grew up in Northern California where she received her B.F.A. from California College of the Arts. Lily seeks to inspire change, engage audiences, and educate people of all ages with her artwork. lilywilliamsart.com

Editorial Reviews

04/03/2023

Schwartz’s guiding titular question draws together human biology and water ecology for a playfully wide-ranging, informative, and conservation-leaning exploration. Chatty prose grounded in basic science examines urine from every angle, touching on how and why the body creates it and where one should and shouldn’t feel free to let loose. Dispersed throughout are deep dives into marine science, covering such topics as fin whale waste, algal blooms, and single-use plastics. Shaded boxes offer historical and mythological context, propose experiments (“Sea it for yourself”), or make a connection to environmental stewardship (“Be the change”), while Williams’s grayscale cartoons help visualize the text, including figures of varied skin tones. A simple message ties it all together: “Peeing in the ocean isn’t a problem. It’s all the other stuff humans do that is harming the seas, and, by extension, our planet.” Back matter includes an ocean protector pledge. Ages 8–12. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

A steady stream of information about marine chemistry and ecology . . . with a few drops of common sense . . . Well worth a go for being so expansive and a bit more than ankle deep.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Scientific information blends seamlessly with fun facts to deliver everything you would want to know about pee . . . This is a science title that will jump off the nonfiction shelf.” —School Library Connection

“Hands-on history for budding spies, hackers, or anyone with a secret message to send . . . Offer[s] a broad and lucid survey of cryptographic strategies.” —Kirkus Reviews, on Can You Crack the Code?

“A useful counterweight to conventional books describing breakthroughs in science, medicine, and engineering.” —Booklist, on Stolen Science

From the Publisher

2023-01-12
A steady stream of information about marine chemistry and ecology…with a few drops of common sense.

Yes, the author concludes, after describing in some detail the main components of urine and how our bodies produce it, peeing in the ocean is OK—after all, not only is the ocean really big, but whales and fish do it on a much larger scale, and smaller organisms like phytoplankton and corals actually depend on that for nutrients. How about elsewhere, like showers and swimming pools? Fine for the former, since the water isn’t lingering (though, Schwartz, cautions, avoid doing it in public showers); not OK for the latter, though from a scientific standpoint less because it’s gross than because it promotes unsafe bacterial growth. Schwartz directs her narrative flow away from issues connected to solid biowastes but does go on to sprinkle facts and insights on an impressive array of broad environmental topics from marine noise pollution to the effects of oil spills and plastic waste on oceanic acidity and habitats. She also stirs in directions for several simple demonstrations using, mostly, water and food coloring and closes with feasible suggested activities and a blank journal page for young “ocean protectors.” The two human figures who pop into view most often in Williams’ informally drawn spot art are both people of color.

Well worth a go for being so expansive and a bit more than ankle deep. (author’s note, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews