Author: Jacob Berkowitz
Publisher: Kids Can Press
ISBN: 9781553378600
Book Source: library
That's right. It's an entire book about fossil feces - more formally known as coprolites. And what a book it is. As the jacket blurb says, "Funny and informative, Jurassic Poop is flush with amazing facts, stories, and activities."
The puns, they write themselves - and I'm pretty sure Berkowitz uses most of them. His tone throughout is light and funny - I'd call it tongue-in-cheek but under the circumstances that's a pretty disgusting thought - and perfectly suited to his middle-grade target audience.
There's a lot more to this book than scat jokes, however; it's full of wide-ranging and totally fascinating information. Berkowitz covers everything you never knew about fossil doo - its formation, its discovery, and the identification of its sources. He then goes on to discuss some of the wealth of information that can be gained by studying it. The book also contains profiles of scat scientists and several activities - including a recipe for scent-free coprolite crafts.
Still not quite convinced? Jurassic Poop won the 2007 American Institute of Physics Children's Book Award. And when I hear giggling in the 9-12 nonfiction section at the bookstore, it's usually a sign this book's getting browsed.
For more information on Jacob Berkowitz and his books, you can visit his website, or watch for his posts right here on Sci/Why!
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Posted by Lindsey Carmichael. For more of her children's book reviews, check out her blog, Ten Stories Up.
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