Does It Fart? The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence
Yes, this is a Twitter hashtag turned into a book, and no, it’s not exactly a children’s book — but it’s not exactly not a children’s book, either. My father bought this for my then-11-year-old and I think it might have been his favorite Christmas present that year (after whatever Switch game was the thing then, of course). This is the kind of book that an 11-year-old and a 70-year-old can sit down and have a conversation about, and that is a rare and precious thing. I mean, who doesn’t want to know if octopuses fart? (They don’t.)
But what really makes the experience of reading this book a true delight is the seriousness with which the question “does it fart?” is addressed. There are diagrams. There are multiple experts. There are in-depth discussions of digestion backed by years of field observation and research. This care and scholarship is what prevents this book from becoming gimmicky or tedious even though structurally, it’s just answering the same question over and over and over again.
And that expertise and scholarship is also what makes these stories of animal flatulence (or not) sing with a spirit of wonder at the amazing, weird, wild, unexpected ways that animals live their lives. Hidden beneath the silly title, this book captures the spirit of scientific curiosity and packages it up with a fantastic hook. 11/10, do not miss this one.
By Nick Caruso and Dani Rabaiotti, illus. by Ethan Kocak
Published by Hatchette Books, 2018
Age: Middle School+
Purchase at bookshop.orgContent you might want to know about:
Tons of stuff about farts, poop, and other digestive topics. Obviously.
Honestly nothing else. This book knows its lane!
