The Poop Song

March 15, 2021
As the title indicates, a song about pooping in the potty. Best known for writing several of the early Pete the Cat books, Litwin opens this picture book with the lines "CATS poop in their own little box. / MOUNTAIN GOATS poop as they climb over rocks." Ensuing pages show other animals (and eventually dinosaurs and extraterrestrials) pooping, too, but the book's main goal seems to be to use humor to inspire human children to do their business on the potty. As the refrain states in part, "But the BIG BOYS and BIG GIRLS are pooping in the potty. / And then we hear a happy sound. // FLUSH!" The text has a rhythmic, rhyming cadence that clearly lends itself to singing while accompanying childlike illustrations of smiling, defecating animals and children of differing skin colors enhance the humor of the text. Children should respond positively to the silly depictions of "SPACE MARTIANS poop[ing] by a faraway star" (space Martian dung is gray, evidently) and a picture of "Mr. Eric" (so indicated by a license plate) exclaiming "A little BLUEBIRD just pooped on my car." While there's no sheet music in the book, a note on the jacket flap prompts readers to find a recording of the song at the publisher's website. Listeners will be treated to an upbeat tune, flushing sound effects, kids' voices chiming in with Litwin's, and perhaps just a few fartlike sounds for good measure. Sure to be music to the ears of potty-training families. (Picture book. 1-3)

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June 1, 2021

PreS-While there are numerous books for toddlers on learning to use the potty, and several other unrelated "Poop Song" versions on the internet, this one takes a broader approach: All creatures, whether fish, caterpillars, camels, or others, have to poop no matter where they are. Of course, children are included as well in a recurring refrain that emphasizes the human, though binary, approach to the call of nature, "But the BIG BOYS and the BIG GIRLS are pooping in the potty. And then we hear a happy sound. FLUSH!" The lyrics rhyme, but it might require one to first access a link to the song to hear the author's musical rendition in order to get the rhythm just right. In the musical version, a chorus of children shout the word "poop" every time it comes up in the song, which may be one fun way to share this book with toddlers, who love to shout the word adults usually refrain from speaking. That may be the point: With this book, Litwin normalizes a process everyone does, but no one really talks about. It's not a book about learning to use the toilet, but unabashedly portrays the function as an everyday, common occurrence. The illustrations are colorful, humorous, and festive as every creature looks to be quite relieved and happy that their bodily functions are in good order. VERDICT If a collection is in need of a title that, like Taro Gomi's Everybody Poops, reinforces the point that all creatures poop, then this is the one to have.-Maggie Chase, Boise State Univ., ID

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2021
Taking its cues from the classic Everyone Poops and later potty-themed picture books, Litwin (the Pete the Cat series) presents a giggle-inducing, nose-wrinkling (and informative) picture book in rhyme about poop. The singable text (link to recording on the copyright page), aimed at young children learning to independently use the toilet, identifies how and where many creatures relieve themselves. From the silly ("Space Martians poop on a faraway star") to the mundane ("A little bluebird just pooped on my car"), the text describes how many animals have their own way of doing things. The pictures establish a lighthearted tone, setting cartoonish creatures and children in vibrantly colored, movement-filled illustrations. Litwin approaches the topic in playful, frank, and encouraging terms that nudge the child listener with every refrain: "But the big boys and big girls are pooping in the potty. / And then we hear a happy sound. / FLUSH!" Grace McKinney

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2021
Taking its cues from the classic Everyone Poops and later potty-themed picture books, Litwin (the Pete the Cat series) presents a giggle-inducing, nose-wrinkling (and informative) picture book in rhyme about poop. The singable text (link to recording on the copyright page), aimed at young children learning to independently use the toilet, identifies how and where many creatures relieve themselves. From the silly ("Space Martians poop on a faraway star") to the mundane ("A little bluebird just pooped on my car"), the text describes how many animals have their own way of doing things. The pictures establish a lighthearted tone, setting cartoonish creatures and children in vibrantly colored, movement-filled illustrations. Litwin approaches the topic in playful, frank, and encouraging terms that nudge the child listener with every refrain: "But the big boys and big girls are pooping in the potty. / And then we hear a happy sound. / FLUSH!"

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)