The Inside Scouts Help the Brave Giraffe (The Inside Scouts #2)

Written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths

Illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

Acorn (Scholastic)

978-1-338-89501-8

64 pp.

Ages 5–7

June 2024

 

Sanjay and Viv, the Inside Scouts who can shrink down and go inside animals to help them feel better, are on their second case with a giraffe who cannot eat because her tummy feels sick. So, to discover what is stuck in her gut, the two friends approach Sabeena the giraffe to see if they can help.

From The Inside Scouts Help the Brave Giraffe, written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

After a few questions about when Sabeena started to feel ill–after eating her lunch of leaves–the two learn from an embarrassed Sabeena that, in addition to not wanting to eat, she can't poop. Thankful for the info, the Inside Scouts suit up and jump into her mouth to travel down the esophagus into her stomach. (For details about the digestive system, there is a "Fun Facts about the Gut" that describes the parts (including how to pronounce them) and its workings.)

From The Inside Scouts Help the Brave Giraffe, written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

But the stomach looks clear so the two raft down into the intestines with its walls with "pink fingers" where they find a ball of thorns, undoubtedly the cause of Sabeena's discomfort. With a blast tool and a net, they trap the offending mass, moving themselves back out with sticky grips until Sanjay and Viv are burped out of Sabeena. 

Inside Scouts go inside together.

When animals need help,

we help them get better! (p. 54)

From The Inside Scouts Help the Brave Giraffe, written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

When Mitali Banerjee Ruths, MD, introduced The Inside Scouts series earlier this year with The Inside Scouts Help the Kind Lion, I was hooked. She based her story on two friends, both of colour, who worked with animals, health, and tech to do good. The stories are light, perfect for an early reader, but informative, drawing readers in with their rhyming superhero chants, their internal adventures, and wild tech. Coupled with Francesca Mahaney's digital art, the stories are colourful, a little whimsical–see Sabeena shyly "going" behind a bush once her gut is working again–and bold while never complicated.

From The Inside Scouts Help the Brave Giraffe, written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths, illustrated by Francesca Mahaney

With Sanjay and Viv around to help explain personal health issues, young readers will never need to be embarrassed about asking questions to help them understand their bodies. With Book 3, The Inside Scouts Help the Strong Cheetah, set for a fall release, it looks like there will be more learning happening, inside and out.

 

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The Inside Scouts Help the Kind Lion (February 2024)
The Inside Scouts Help the Brave Giraffe (June 2024)
The Inside Scouts Help the Strong Cheetah (October 2024)

Poopy Science: Getting to the Bottom of What Comes Out Your Bottom (A Gross Science Book): Guest review

The review was written by Grade 4 student Bradon M.

 

Written by Edward Kay

Illustrated by Mike Shiell

Kids Can Press

978-1-525304132

48 pp.

Ages 8-12

2022

 

The name of this book is what made me want to pick it up!  I have never really learned about poop and am always told we can’t do “toilet talk” since it isn’t polite. This book was finally my chance to learn all about poop. This non-fiction book will cover everything you want to know about poop…and maybe some things you don’t!  Each page has a couple of headings that are hilarious. For example, I really like “Funky Frass” and “Super-Duper Poopers and Tiny Turd Makers”. These headings made me want to read each section. Edward Kay's writing reeks of funny facts that now I can never unlearn, and I definitely learned a lot about poop!

From Poopy Science: Getting to the Bottom of What Comes Out of Your Bottom by Edward Kay, illus. by Mike Shiell

The disgustingly weird and funny cover page for this book made me want to read it right away. The pictures inside the book are just as entertaining because each one will make you explode with laughter. I couldn’t help but stare at some of the pictures. They were so outrageous. For example, there is a cartoon of a man picking his butt, another with a man riding on a flying toilet over the city who looked like he just had explosive diarrhea, and then one of a bear with a cork in his bum. The cartoons are really hysterical, but they are also really well done. You can tell that the illustrator, Mike Shiell, took their time. Each one is unique and eye-catching. This book definitely won’t be a waste of your time! 

From Poopy Science: Getting to the Bottom of What Comes Out of Your Bottom by Edward Kay, illus. by Mike Shiell

This book would be great for anyone over the age of seven. They will laugh at all of the pictures like I did and love the information they will learn. As I was reading the book, I felt I had to share every fact with my family…especially the gross ones! This would often cause a lot of laughter and some facts were shocking to them. When my family wasn’t around me reading Poopy Science, they could hear me laughing as I read each page. I loved this book so much that I think it should be in all classrooms, libraries, and bathrooms. My rating for this book is 5 poop emojis out of 5 💩💩💩💩💩!  A must read for everyone.  Pull up a stool and get a whiff of this book! 

~ Written by Bradon M., Age 9

 

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Poopy Science is the latest book in the Gross Science Book series.

Stinky Science: Why the Smelliest Smells Smell So Smelly (2019)

Germy Science: The Sick Truth about Getting Sick (and Staying Healthy) (2021)

Poopy Science: Getting to the Bottom of What Comes Out Your Bottom (2022)