Jump into the world of dung detectives. That’s right, there are scientists who make a habit of studying ancient turds. Scientific name? Coprolites. In this book, you learn how coprolites are preserved, and what they can tell us about the creatures that left them behind. Coprolite crafts let readers get hands-on (ewww) while feces facts fill you in on the craziest poop.

I think this book looked interesting to read, although at first the topic sounded weird. Now I think the topic is interesting.

Reading the book was fun, and I learned cool and interesting stuff. For example, scientists can study ancient animal poo and find out when and what the animal ate that day! I also liked how there is an even balance of pictures and text. What I didn’t like was how the book feeds you a lot of information at once, so at first it’s hard to take it all in. This book had a poo fossil-making craft that was very easy to do.

Overall, I think the writer did a very good job. Out of 10, I would rate this book an 8. Lastly, if you are under the age of 10, I recommend waiting to read this book until you’re older because it can be hard to understand.

(Originally published in the July/August 2007 issue of YES Mag.)