WHAT BREATHES THROUGH ITS BUTT?

Scientific inquiry served up in a witty, visual style, with enough fart jokes to satisfy any young reader.

Even kids who are not turned on by a traditional science curriculum will be inspired by this approach. The author’s intention of making science friendly and accessible to different learning styles is immediately apparent from the quiz-show format. The book includes 30 attention-grabbing questions, each presented with four possible answers, encouraging readers to consider and speculate. The questions include the one used for the title and such intriguing puzzlers as “Which creature had the strongest bite ever?” and “How long would you need to fart to produce gas with the equivalent energy of an atomic bomb?” In a chatty, kid-friendly style similar to that of the Magic School Bus series, the author, a popular British scientist, youth science advocate, and TV personality, encourages children to ask questions and not be afraid of making mistakes. Each question is presented comic-book style in a speech bubble followed by several pages of in-depth facts about the topic. This highly illustrated volume is visually arresting, with striking, thick-lined, grayscale art taking up the majority of each page. The varied typeface uses bold and all caps for emphasis, and the text is often laid out creatively, such as within the open jaws of a crocodile. Ethnic diversity is indicated in the drawings.

Sure to hook those who already love science—and lure in skeptics.