Flush!: The Scoop on Poop throughout the Ages
Encyclopedia
Flush!: The Scoop on Poop throughout the Ages is a 2007 non-fiction children's book written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper.
, Connie Fletcher said, "Harper's picture-book overview of the evolution of excrement disposal--from the invention of toilets 'over 10,000 years ago' to toilets in space--has everything some kids delight in: shock value, weird facts, and gross-out references. It's also a fascinating book, made cheerful by Harper's acrylic-and-collage illustrations." A Kirkus Reviews
review says, "Young listeners plunging into this savory survey will come away with tasty new words like 'gongfermor' and 'garderobe,' plenty of eminently share-worthy facts . . . and sore cheeks--the facial sort--from laughing." Kitty Flynn of Horn Book Magazine
said, "With their Kalman-esque color combinations, Harper’s engaging, idiosyncratic collage paintings help set the tone and, like the poems, manage to be both irreverent and edifying." The book's rhymes, however, were not appreciated by every critic; representative is a rhyme quoted and commented on in a review for the School Library Journal
: "Unfortunately, the last poem offers a weak conclusion to the slightly more sophisticated bathroom humor of the previous rhymes: 'Let's do it all together./Not a whisper, give a shout:/POOPY! POOPY! POOPY!/is what this book's about!'"
Summary
The book contains two-page chapters with rhyming text, color illustration, and factual side-bars. Published for school children between grades 2 and 4, the book uses humor to describe the history of human waste. As well as the development of the toilet, chapters include various trivia including the uses of urine, Louis XIV's habit of holding meetings on a toilet that was shaped like a throne, and Elizabeth I's rejection of the first mechanical toilet.Reception
The book's reception has been mainly positive. In a review published on BooklistBooklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
, Connie Fletcher said, "Harper's picture-book overview of the evolution of excrement disposal--from the invention of toilets 'over 10,000 years ago' to toilets in space--has everything some kids delight in: shock value, weird facts, and gross-out references. It's also a fascinating book, made cheerful by Harper's acrylic-and-collage illustrations." A Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
review says, "Young listeners plunging into this savory survey will come away with tasty new words like 'gongfermor' and 'garderobe,' plenty of eminently share-worthy facts . . . and sore cheeks--the facial sort--from laughing." Kitty Flynn of Horn Book Magazine
Horn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The...
said, "With their Kalman-esque color combinations, Harper’s engaging, idiosyncratic collage paintings help set the tone and, like the poems, manage to be both irreverent and edifying." The book's rhymes, however, were not appreciated by every critic; representative is a rhyme quoted and commented on in a review for the School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
: "Unfortunately, the last poem offers a weak conclusion to the slightly more sophisticated bathroom humor of the previous rhymes: 'Let's do it all together./Not a whisper, give a shout:/POOPY! POOPY! POOPY!/is what this book's about!'"