Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi

Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi

Rating: 4 stars

Throwback Thursday!

Newsflash: Everybody poops!  (But I think you already knew that.)

This funny book is full of pictures of lots of animals (including humans) pooping.  That's all there really is to it.  Taro Gomi illustrates all the differences and the similarities that go along with our scatological preferences: some animals poop in the water, others in the air, most on the ground.  What do all these bowel movements look like?  Well, Taro Gomi is glad you're curious about that: he's drawn pebbles and logs, heaps and piles…of poop.

There's such a fine line between funny and gross, and I think some would argue that an illustration of poop falling from a giraffe's rump might be totally gross…and not picture book worthy.  But what child isn't a bit shocked when they realize what is happening when they squish up their face and push out some freakishly dark object from their own little body?!  Taro Gomi's sorta-gross, sorta-funny book reassures us in a way that we adults still want to be reassured: everybody does it.  So relax, laugh a little at yourself, and keep on doing it.

C'mon…that's funny!

(Not that we have a choice about that last part when it comes to pooping.)

Enjoy the book!  Feel free to take it to the bathroom with you…



P.S.  Taro Gomi's My Friends is one of my favorite board books for babies…it is very cute and sweet, and not gross at all, promise.

My Friends by Taro Gomi

My Friends by Taro Gomi

Rating: 5 learn-from-me stars

Some years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I lived in Thailand as a Peace Corps Volunteer and loved my crazy existence and experience there.  While a friend visited me from the US during my two and half years in rural Uttaradit; I soon realized that there were two types of people in this world.  Some of us go to a new place or meet a new person and ask, "What can I learn from them?" and there are another group of people who look at a new place or meet a new person and ask, "Why do they do it like that?"

When I became a mother, I knew that it was super important to me to teach my kids to be in the first group, just like I am, as well as my husband, partner-in-crime, and their father.

During a visit to my step-sister's house, I discovered a little children's book that I'd never seen before and fell in love with it: My Friends.  It is a simple little book where a little girl learns from everything and everyone around her.  I don't have the book in front of me (I will soon!) but here's what I remember: "I learn to jump from the cat, I learn to swing from the monkey, I learn to read from my teachers, I learn to love from friends like you."  And the illustrations are just simple and beautiful.  Just simply beautiful.

This will be another of my go-to gift books for babies because it is such a wonderful message: Look around you, and learn from everything and everyone.  Now!