Poo-Dunit? A forest floor mystery by Katelyn Aronson, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis

Every time the subject of Bigfoot (or our local cryptid, The Beast of Bray Road) comes up, I always remind people of the ultimate evidence of existence - show me the poop! And here it is, right on the cover in bold color and a visible smell...

Mouse pokes her nose outside her house one day, only to see a giant pile of scat, decorated with hairs and berries, and she quickly sets out to find the creator of this enormous pile of poop. She questions animal after animal, each one joining in the rhyme to describe their own feces, until the proud author of the poop is discovered - only to be eclipsed by an even bigger deposit!

Luckily, Mouse has lots of friends to help her clean up the mess and fertilize a fresh crop of flowers for her doorway to perfume the air in the future. Back matter describes the different scat left by each animal and gives a brief explanation of the benefits of manure, properly used of course. The story is told in brisk rhyme and the "icky" subject is dealt with briskly and humorously.

Laberis' digital illustrations show sharply-featured animals zipping around the landscape, all trying to avoid the smelly heap, and with cheesy grins on their faces as they confess to their own fecal specialties.

Verdict: Informational as well as funny, this is a good fit for any kids who like bathroom humor (i.e. nearly all of them) with a informational twist. Pair with some of the other books on the subject for an icky storytime, or pass on to classes teaching kids about natural behavior and tracking. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781536216370; Published June 2022 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium