A History of Toilet Paper (and Other Potty Tools)

by Sophia Gholz, Xiana Teimoy (Illustrator)

Overview

In the beginning, potty time meant the great outdoors . . . 

People have been going potty since, well, since the beginning of people! Ever wonder what humans used before potties or paper? You might be surprised at the clever tools that humans came up with over the centuries. From the great outdoors to ceramic pots, bum brushes and bidets, prepare for an adventure as we explore the interesting and sometimes shocking history of human potty practices! Award-winning children’s author Sophia Gholz and illustrator Xiana Teimoy team up to put a humorous spin on the fun and fascinating facts surrounding the history of toilet paper (and other potty tools) in this delightful book. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762475551
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	08/02/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	712,016
Product dimensions:	11.40(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sophia Gholz is the award-winning children’s book author of The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng, Jack Horner, Dinosaur Hunter!, and This Is Your World: The Story of Bob Ross. Sophia loves searching for interesting or wacky historical facts. She also loves to laugh. 

Xiana Teimoy is an illustrator from a cute little city in the Spanish far northwest. She has a degree in Biology as well as a Master’s in Design and Illustration. She works from her cozy studio located in sunny Valencia, where she develops her work using digital media.

Editorial Reviews

"An engaging look at how various bathroom technology has changed over time; this is sure to appeal to the elementary school sense of humor."—School Library Journal

"[A] delightful and funny microhistory about toilet paper. . . . A seriously hilarious and engrossing read."—Book Riot

" For sheer potty humor, Gholz has hit gold. . . . A humorous and clever tale about toilet tools."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

06/10/2022

K-Gr 3—Gholz has found a topic that matters to every reader. She carefully traces the development of "potty tools" from the days of early humans to the present. Comical illustrations show Neanderthals in animal skins carrying leaves and early Mesopotamians emptying chamber pots. Readers will be particularly glad that the Roman custom of a communal tersorium ("bum brush") is a thing of the past. Significant advances such as the invention of paper or the flushing toilet are explained and also shown in humorous fashion. While images show people from a variety of time periods with their potties, outhouses, and bidets, clothing discreetly conceals those using the facilities. The cover features a large roll of toilet paper with the Scott brothers perched on top and other characters posed nearby. Readers will appreciate a scene near the conclusion that shows a cave woman holding up a seashell and a modern mother holding out a roll of toilet paper, juxtaposing how far amenities have come. As Gholz points out, "Can you believe humans were around for more than 195,000 years before they invented something as simple as toilet paper?" Back matter includes a time line with thumbnail images, a glossary, selected bibliography, and author's note. VERDICT An engaging look at how various bathroom technology has changed over time; this is sure to appeal to the elementary school sense of humor.—Suzanne Costner

School Library Journal

2023-03-14
A comedic, nonfiction picture book explores the history of human hygiene and toilet paper.

Starting at the beginning of human history (200,000 years ago, according to Gholz’s timeline), this creative story examines potty tools. Early substitutes for toilet paper and hand towels included seashells, grass, moss, and leaves. The author fast-forwards to ancient Mesopotamia’s ceramic and brick nonflushing toilets and makes a stop at ancient Rome’s public toilets—recommended “if you don’t mind pottying in public and sharing a tersorium (a bum brush) with others.” She then proceeds to the invention of paper in China in 79 C.E. But it takes many years before flushing toilets and commercial toilet paper hit the market, and Gholz and illustrator Teimoy indulge in silliness every step of the way. In endnotes, the author explains that sources differ regarding many facts about toilet origins, but the inventors and time periods in the book are the most commonly accepted. For sheer potty humor, Gholz has hit gold, and the use of simple language and sentence structures allows emergent and newly independent readers to experience the comedy confidently. Teimoy’s diverse cartoon illustrations capture the humor of early potty techniques (for example, a bidet user in 1700s France loses her balance while getting a “spritz”). For some readers, the specifics of how toilet paper was invented and marketed may come as a revelation. In addition, this history of how humans have gone to the bathroom delivers plenty of gross, gleeful details that science lovers will enjoy.

A humorous and clever tale about toilet tools.

Kirkus Reviews