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

Part of the “Orca Footprints” series, What Poo Can Do examines the ways in which four animals - the blue whale, wildebeest, dung beetle and penguin - help their environments and lessen the effects of climate change. The title is mainly used to attract the reader’s attention as the discussion of the “poo” makes up only a portion of the narrative and often serves as a jumping off point to add further information. For example, there are facts about deforestation, the near extinction of whales because of the whaling industry and the impacts of plastic waste in the oceans. Readers will learn such terms as “regenerative agriculture”, “rewilding” and “keystone species”.

By examining animal feces, scientists can determine what the animal eats and the health of the environment. In the case of the Adélie penguin, for instance, the excrement is reddish-pink when krill are plentiful, but, if krill numbers are low, the penguins eat fish which makes their excrement bluish in colour. This information provides clues as to the health of the ocean and the possible effects of greenhouse gases.

Other examples of the benefits of animal excrement include the support of phytoplankton growth, the spread of seeds, plant fertilization, drought and wildfire prevention, and the reduction of methane gas.

The text is well-organized and sustains the reader’s interest. Each of the book’s four chapters has a section with suggestions for how kids can help with the climate crisis while text boxes provide additional information. Illustrations consist of colour photographs and a diagram.

The last page sums up the entire premise of the book: “healthy eco-systems rely on poo-producing animals and the plants that benefit from their excrement.” It is up to humans to ensure that these eco-systems remain healthy.

A table of contents, a glossary, an index and a list of print and online resources are included in What Poo Can Do.