Poop Eaters

October 1, 2017
Grades 1-3 This study, one of six in the certain-to-be-popular Scoop on Poop series, begins with the cecotropes that little fuzzy bunnies excrete and then eat, and ends with a truly memorable photo of pooping whales. In between, Lawrence explains why certain animals eat poop: rodents and cassowaries to give nutrients a second pass through their digestive systems, baby elephants to add helpful digestive bacteria from a parent, dung beetles to feed themselves and their offspring, and leopard tortoises to supplement a calcium-poor diet with the ground-up bones in hyena stool. Anatomical diagrams join big, bright, labeled color photos to provide cogent visuals. A closing activity (requiring only paper and colored pencils!) reinforces the theme that it's all part of nature's food chain. Science education of the alimentary sort, with large helpings of gross! (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)