Bottoms Up!: A Book About Rear Ends - Hardcover

Singer, Marilyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805042466 ISBN 13: 9780805042467

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 1998

Synopsis

What has one of the most feared rear ends in the animal kingdom? Why are baboon bottoms red? How does a chicken lay an egg? These are just a few of the intriguing questions that are answered in this informative picture book about the incredible things animals--from honeybees to horses--can do with their great posteriors.

In their friendendly, accessible style, Marilyn Singer and Patrick O'Brien get to the bottom of bottoms. The result is a fascinating examination of form and function in the animal world.

About this title

About the Author

Marilyn Singer is the author of A Wasp Is Not a Bee, illustrated by Patrick O'Brien, and Deal with a Ghost. She was inspired to write Bottoms Up! after a trip to the Prospect Park Zoo where she became intrigued with the bottoms of baboons. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Patrick O' Brien is the illustrator of A Wasp Is Not a Bee by Marilyn Singer, and Teddy Roosevelt's Elk by Bra Z. Guiberson. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Reviews

Grade 3-5A"Female baboons and male mandrills look like they've put makeup on their butts....When dogs greet, they sniff each other's butts....Elephants sometimes pee and poop when they greet." Double-page entriesAa page of text facing a full-page illustrationAexplain how 13 animals use their backsides to communicate, lay eggs, weave food traps, spray enemies, or meet other life needs. Singer acknowledges that "We all know that everyone poops." Many children will chuckle at recognizing a popular book title here. They will probably break into giggles at the repeated use of the frank terms. At this age, the guffaws may interfere with serious reading of the simple commentary introducing a variety of animals and their social and physiological practices. Most will be familiar, with the hornbill, forceps fish, and sea cucumber representing lesser-known species. The hornbill's use of colored preening oil is lost in the awkward rendering of the big-beaked bird, but otherwise the modicum of information and O'Brien's quasi-realistic paintings offer an interesting sketch of each creature. A useful addition to the myriad books about animals.AMargaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3^-6. Those familiar with Everyone Poops (1993) thought that book broke new ground. However, it is barely worth raising an eyebrow over when compared to the information in this cheerful book about behinds and their uses. Each two-page spread introduces an animal and its bottom. Readers will get to know the baboon and its colorful behind, used to attract mates; the bee and its barbed rear end; and the elephant, which can be identified by its feces. Each page of text has a jaunty introductory paragraph that is sure to grab attention: "When is a head not a head? When it's a forceps fish's rear end." Or, "When people greet each other, they may say hello, hug or shake hands. When dogs greet, they sniff each other's butts." The information that follows is to the point, clearly explained, and fascinating. The artwork is slightly less successful. It is colorful, big, and bold (considering the topic, it would have to be), but some pictures, such as the cover art--a rear view of a hen--are markedly better than others, like the depictions of the baboons. Anyway, will kids love this book? Does everyone poop? Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805042466
• ISBN 13: 9780805042467
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: O'Brien Patrick
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32