The Clue is in the Poo: And Other Things Too

I try to actively encourage children in my class to read non-fiction texts as well as fiction and like to have them readily available in my classroom. This and A Giant Dose of Gross, its sister title, are great texts for pupils to be able to dip in and out of as and when they can. My class love being able to pick up facts or snippets of information they can then pass on and share with others, these books give them the opportunity to pick up such facts and then share them with others. From a science leads perspective I think these books do a great job at sparking children's interest and encouraging their curiosity about the world around them. The set-up of the book actively encourages them to ask questions of their own. I think it is particularly important in today's world for pupils to have an interest in the natural world as without this much of it is at threat. This is a perfect book for those interested in nature, especially to more dirty aspects, what child doesn't love poo at some point? This book could be used by pupils to generate and answer questions for themselves in pupil-led enquiry. There are clear links to the science curriculum, including the identification and classification of animals, strong links also to digestion and habitats. Further links could be made to geography and the environmental requirements of plants and animals as well as the changes these plants and animals face. This book could also be used as stimuli for outdoor learning and forest school activities where pupils could track and identify animals within their locality, under supervision of course. These books are most appropriate for KS2 pupils (7-11). 64 pages / Ages 7+ / Reviewed by Sarah Lynham, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+

Having made the mistake of handing this book and its partner in crime, A Giant Dose of Gross, over to my small class of Year 4 boys before I had even reviewed them, I can say without hesitation that this book will go down a storm in any school library or class book corner! Anything that talks about poo is always a big hit with primary school aged children and this book certainly didn't fail to please. The Clue is in the Poo takes a riveting meander through poo of various sizes, fossilised dinosaur poo, animal tracks, hair and nests and, while it may be hard to believe it, Andy Seed has managed to include something to interest everyone. Accompanied by some amazing illustrations by Claire Almon, this is one of those classroom readers that children will spend hours pondering over, searching for the worst or most alarming 'poo fact' they can find. The short, easily readable, informative passages, allow young readers, who may not quite have the reading stamina necessary for lengthy reading or research, to peruse and choose the bits that inspire most. Typically this will not be a book to read quietly; each page will undoubtably cause a fuss or exclamation of some sort, although what a great way to ensure that your children are reading for pleasure! Unlike many other children's non fiction books, this has all the features every primary school teacher checks for before sharing a non-fiction or reference text with their class; contents and index pages, headings, sub-headings, captions, diagrams and illustrations. There's even a quiz for those who maybe wish to become'Poo detectives'. I really liked how this book was laid out; each page is different, some pages have facts that seem randomly positioned while others are in table form, some illustrations include humorous comments in speech bubbles, however, every page is filled with information about animals and what they might have left behind them. Young or old, readers cannot help but be intrigued by the telltale signs left by animals in the wild. 64 pages / Ages 7+ / Reviewed by Sam Phillips, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+