Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt?

by Derick Wilder, K-Fai Steele (Illustrator)

Overview

Green Eggs and Ham meets Everyone Poops in this laugh-out-loud story that asks—and answers—the burning question in every kid's life.

Does a scarecrow have a butt?
Yep, you stuff him with a straw one.
And does a crayon have a butt?
Nope, but it can surely draw one.
This silly, funny, clever book will be the most quoted text in all of elementary school.

Over the course of a long walk across a city, one curious kid needs to know: "Does it have a butt?" Everything from sheep to ghosts to dinosaurs is subjected to this all-important question, and Dad is a never-ending source of answers. On a laugh-out-loud father-child ramble, we come to see that every butt, from a bullfrog's to a zombie's, has its own distinctive, and distinctively hilarious, quality.

LAUGH-OUT-LOUD FUNNY: It's impossible to find a kid who doesn't giggle at the word "butt." The repetition of the word, the varied assortment of butts, and the clever rhymes make this a book that both parents and children will return to over and over again.

A SNEAKY WAY TO TEACH ABOUT CONTEXT: The book isn't simply a repetition of one joke or word. Instead, it offers a crafty way of talking about what things mean in different contexts.

SILLY AND SWEET, NOT GROSS: Butt jokes can potentially cross a line and become offensive or insensitive, but the tone and choices throughout this book are sweet and innocent, making it a unique, accessible option for parents and educators who want to normalize the asking of difficult questions.

COUNT THE BUTTS! This book will change how you see the world: Not only will you start wondering about all inanimate objects' butts, you'll start seeing them everywhere! There are nearly 200 butts in the illustrations that aren't even mentioned in the text. Keen-eyed young readers will delight in the most hilarious seek-and-find they could ever imagine!

Perfect for:

• Parents
• Grandparents
• Educators and librarians
• Fans of funny books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452182124
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	05/24/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	191,941
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD460L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Derick Wilder is the author of The Longest Letsgoboy and the founder of Reading Giraffe, a literacy initiative with the goal of creating lifelong readers by making books come alive. He has been writing for as long as he can remember, and endless hours in the children's section of the library with his daughter sparked his love for picture books. He lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

K-Fai Steele is the author-illustrator of A Normal Pig and the illustrator of Noodlephant and other books for young readers. She was a Brown Handler Writer in Residence at the San Francisco Public Library, a recipient of the James Marshall Fellowship at the University of Connecticut, and a recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats/Kerlan Memorial Fellowship at the University of Minnesota. She was born in Charlton, Massachusetts, and now lives in Lausanne, Switzerland (which Richard Scarry also called home!).

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/21/2022

As a light-brown-skinned father and child walk to school through a city that visually references San Francisco, an important question arises: “Which things do and don’t have butts?” Wilder’s (The Longest Letsgoboy) “super smart and wise” Dad is totally game to dialogue on the subject, and in rhyme: “Does a scarecrow have a butt?/ Yep, you stuff him with a straw one./ And does a crayon have a butt?/ Nope, but it can surely draw one.” In addition to the discussed derrieres, which range from that of the titular bulldozer to those of a Sasquatch, zombies, and aliens, readers can spot many more bottoms rendered playfully in Steele’s (All Eyes on Ozzy!) ink line and bright washes. The transgressively funny concept (plus plentiful puns and mentions of tush utility) will no doubt win over the target audience, but even more important is the portrait the book offers: one of a world in which questions serve as a common bond, curiosity is amply rewarded, and variety is the spice of life. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Jenna Pocius, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

In an unexpectedly delightful shift in tone and topic from The Longest Letsgoboy (2021), Wilder gets philosophical on the subject of butts. . . . This fun little adventure is told in effortlessly cadenced rhyme with witty back-and-forth dialogue between a BIPOC father and daughter. Adding to the entertainment are Steele’s weird and wonderful illustrations, which hide (Easter egg-style) outstanding bottoms on every page. . . . It’s positively cheeky!”—Booklist 

“The text is simple and stands out…[The illustrations are] really quite a feat…Yes, a bulldozer has a butt, in this comical read-aloud for children who love humor on the edge.”—School Library Journal

“The transgressively funny concept (plus plentiful puns and mentions of tush utility) will no doubt win over the target audience, but even more important is the portrait the book offers: one of a world in which questions serve as a common bond, curiosity is amply rewarded, and variety is the spice of life.”-Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher

06/01/2022

PreS-Gr 1—A gender neutral child and father are walking to school. The child's first-person narration indicates that there are always questions, because Daddy always knows the answers, and today's question is about butts. "Does a scarecrow have a butt? Yep, you stuff him with a straw one. And does a crayon have a butt? Nope, but it can surely draw one." The child asks about every single thing and the dad answers yes in a short funny manner, not always meant to be taken literally. This pattern repeats until the end of the book. The text is simple and stands out, but the wordplay may work better with first graders than younger children. As for the illustrations, there are butts in clouds, on billboards, in apartment windows, in tree branches (formed by leaves), and it's really quite a feat—a book about nothing more than butts. The neighborhood is diverse; the child and the father have brown skin. VERDICT Yes, a bulldozer has a butt, in this comical read-aloud for children who love humor on the edge.—Margaret Kennelly

School Library Journal