What Poo Can Do: How Animals Are Fighting the Climate Crisis

by Yolanda Ridge

Overview

We all know animals are affected by the climate crisis. But did you know the climate crisis is also affected by animals?

From whales to dung beetles, What Poo Can Do explores how animals big and small are helping the planet every time they do a number two. Come on a journey to different parts of the world to see how animals are fertilizing plants, storing carbon, preventing fires, reducing methane and even creating color-coded maps—all through their feces! Readers will discover how animal defecation makes a difference when it comes to the climate crisis. It's time to embrace the power of poo!

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459835412
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	03/12/2024
Series:	Orca Footprints Series , #29
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.31(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Yolanda Ridge is the author of fiction and nonfiction books for young readers, including Evolution Under Pressure: How We Change Nature and How Nature Changes Us, CRISPR: A Powerful Way to Change DNA and Elliot Jelly-Legs and the Bobblehead Miracle. She has a master of science degree and is adept at making complex concepts understandable, a skill she uses in her science writing and teaching. Yolanda lives in Rossland, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

Well-organized and sustains the reader’s interest…Highly recommended.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Provides a wealth of information about the miraculous ways in which nature works to sustain, heal, and protect itself...an excellent Science resource for grades 4 to 7 as students learn about sustainable practices and evidence of climate change over time.”

BC Books for Schools

Provides food for thought, offers pertinent information, and equips interested middle graders with fodder for discussion and research”

Sal's Fiction Addiction

“While most environmental titles for children focus on how humans can protect and care for the planet, this book focuses on animals who are already assisting the cause—with poop!”

Booklist

12/13/2024

Gr 4–7—How does animal poop combat the climate crisis? It turns out it does so in many ways. Ridge explains how whales release nutrient-rich clouds of poop in the ocean that support the growth of phytoplankton (a microscopic plant that absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen through photosynthesis, thereby reducing greenhouse gases). Another example includes the annual migration of wildebeests in the Serengeti—their poop helps fertilize grasses and trees along the migratory path, as well as facilitates the distribution of seeds so more carbon-reducing plants can grow. Ridge also provides readers with concrete actions they can take to fight climate change, such as organizing a coastal cleanup or joining an organization that is working to make oceans safe for whales. Information is presented attractively in a straightforward manner—there are no bells and whistles here. VERDICT A humorous way to engage with a serious topic. Recommended as a secondary purchase for middle school libraries.—Ragan O'Malley

School Library Journal