Belches, Burps, and Farts, Oh My! by Artie Bennett
Belches, Burps, and Farts, Oh My!
(Blue Apple Books, $17.99, Ages 4-8)
by Artie Bennett with illustrations by Pranas T. Naujokaitis
C’mon, admit it. When you were between the ages of 4 to 8, you cracked up at the occasional fart joke, right? So maybe bathroom humor is what some parents call it, but there’s no avoiding it if you have a young child. The fascination and preoccupation with – not to mention the reproduction of – bodily sounds is hard for kids (and parents) to ignore. With Belches, Burps, and Farts, Oh My!, Bennett’s made learning about the noises that humans and animals emit not only interesting, but rip-roaring funny, too!
Bennett’s latest nonfiction picture book is divided into parts, the first dealing with belches and burps in all their loud glory. Readers are shown the different things that cause belching such as fizzy drinks or eating too much. One fun fact I never knew, and will definitely have my son try out when the opportunity presents itself, is that ” … we cannot burp if on our backs.” And here’s an example of Bennett at his burp humor best:
Can you belch your ABCs?
Demonstrate your ex-burp-tise!
In Part Two it’s time to grab a gas mask or clothes pin as the book explores flatulence aka “breaking wind”:
While burps and belches leave by mouth,
Farts will exit farther south.
Throughout the book, gaseous fumes are presented as a toxic looking green in Naujokaitis’ cartoon-style artwork. Some of the expressions he’s drawn are so spot on whether on humans or the animals that kids will get hysterical without even reading the text! We also learn that for some reason boys seem to enjoy discussing, even bragging, about bodily noise much more than girls. I’m not sure if it’s in their DNA, but feel free to leave a comment if you can attest to that statement’s accuracy.
Did you know that, despite most animals producing farts, certain ones (jellyfish, sponges and anemones) cannot “cut the cheese?” Now that’s a relief, huh? And here are a few things to entertain friends with at your next get together: on average, humans fart 14 times per day, and it takes around 13-20 seconds for us to smell a fart after it’s been done giving the culprit enough time to move to the next shopping aisle in the supermarket.
Bennett’s included Fart-tastic Facts & Burp-tacular Bits in the back matter so parents and kids can take a few minutes to catch their breath after lots of laughing. Here they’ll learn more about the science of farts, the effects of certain gas producing foods and what it’s like to burp in outer space. Thanks, Artie Bennett, for (f)artfully addressing a topic we often shy away from. You grab this gassy bull by the horn and ride with it! Speaking of bulls, “If the gas could be collected, the burps of ten cows over a year’s time could heat a small house for an entire year.”
As for me, I’m thinking there are certain advantages to having a gas stove and cats around the house.
– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel
See more art by Pranas T. Naujokaitis here.
Read a review here of Artie Bennett’s Peter Panda Melts Down.