3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Fart Heard Round the World by Ricky Mintz is a collection of poems about every gross bodily function you could possibly think of. From a super loud fart to boogers to warts, it covers them all. Each of these gross tales offers an explanation for the general science behind the grossness. What causes bad breath? Why does your stomach rumble? How do people get rid of lice? If you want to learn the answers to any of these questions in a fun and entertaining way, this might just be the book for you.
The author did a great job on all of the science for this book! The explanations were on point. Usually, I notice a ton of mistakes in the facts in a book like this, but I didn’t catch a single one in this book. Also, I thought the rhyming style was a great way to educate without being boring. I also thought the author did a great job covering a variety of different gross bodily functions. There were a couple that I definitely wouldn’t have thought to add to the book.
The rhyming was also fun and clever. There weren’t really any “stretches” in the rhyming like I’ve seen in several books. I’m honestly impressed that the author was able to rhyme some of the words and that the entire book of poems was written in rhyme. The only problem I had with this aspect was that it would sometimes switch patterns within one poem. While I’m okay with different rhyming patterns in different poems, the switch that occurred between stanzas threw me off. This could be especially distracting if you are trying to read the book out loud. However, after a couple of poems, I was able to look past this and really get into the flow of the book.
This is a great book for both children and adults. I enjoyed reading it, and I think a lot of kids would too. The vocabulary does get difficult because of the scientific terminology, so it could be hard for elementary students to read without help. There are also a few words and concepts that some parents might find “mature” for younger readers, so I would definitely suggest that parents skim it first or read it out loud to younger children. I think maybe fifth grade to middle school-aged students (ages 10-14) would be able to read the book on their own and would really get a kick out of it. As an adult, I enjoyed it as well, so it really can cover a broad range of readers.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the editing. There were several words that were either spelled wrong or used incorrectly. The punctuation also threw off the flow of the poems. I had to ignore the commas for most of the book in order to really get the best out of it. While the errors weren’t terrible, they were definitely distracting.
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. Even though they were distracting, the errors could be looked past and the rhyming issue wasn’t that big of a deal. I couldn’t give it a perfect score due to the aspects I just mentioned, but it definitely didn’t deserve anything lower than three stars. I would definitely recommend this to parents and their children as well as any adult that just wants something fun to read.
******
The Fart Heard Round The World
View: on Bookshelves
Like anneloretrujillo's review? Post a comment saying so!
when I get a little money I buy books; and if I have any left l buy food and clothes
