'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Thursday 30 May 2013

Review: Funny Bums

The rear ends of animals come in many shapes and sizes. None of them are boring. Find out why some animals have funny bums.

It came as no surprise when my 9-year-old son quickly spotted this book when it first arrived at our home. What young child could resist a book with such a provocative title?

Through the humorous (and slightly scandalous – at least for little ones) chapter titles, young children are drawn into this very basic explanation of how animals bodies are shaped in different ways to help them move, protect themselves, and attract the attention of other animals. Chapter headings such as ‘Sticky Bums’, ‘Smelly Bums’ and ‘Exploding Bums’ will have children giggling and wanting to know more.

Funny Bums author Dr Mark Norman is Head of Sciences at Museum Victoria where he leads the large and active natural sciences research team.

Funny Bums is a great animal reference book to have on hand for pre-school, kindergarten and infants classes, provided you are a teacher brave enough to cope with your students going home and telling their parents that they talked about bums at school. There are Teaching Notes available that include a list of relevant National Curriculum focus points for Foundation to Year 2 as well as suggested discussion questions and activities.

Title: Funny Bums
Author: Dr Mark Norman
Publisher: Black Dog Books, $16.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 April 2013
Format: Soft cover
ISBN: 9781742032504
For ages: 4+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction