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The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it was None of His Business

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Popular among both adults and children, 'The Story of the Little Mole' follows the quest of a mole as he tries to find out who "did their business" on his head. "Quite simply the funniest book you are ever likely to read (as long as you are not easily offended that is!). Perfect for children of course, but if you are stuck for gift ideas for the adults in your life you may need to look no further." - Susan Harrison, amazon.co.uk

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

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1477 people want to read

About the author

Werner Holzwarth

26 books12 followers
Werner Holzwarth, born in 1947, is an author of children's books and was professor of visual communication at the Bauhaus university in Weimar.

Born in Winnenden, he visited school there and in the following studied at the HdK in Berlin. Today he lives in Frankfurt an Main.

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5 stars
2,687 (51%)
4 stars
1,472 (28%)
3 stars
731 (14%)
2 stars
178 (3%)
1 star
110 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 522 reviews
Profile Image for Chester DeCorgi.
2 reviews1 follower
August 22, 2007
This slim but seminal work explores profound questions of the meaning of justice and whether forensic evidence, in matters scatological, can ever produce a satisfactorialy clean judgement.
Profile Image for Maede.
494 reviews727 followers
July 2, 2025

کسی که به ما نریده بود، کلاغِ کون دریده بود

این ضرب‌المثلی بود که مامان بزرگ و مامانم همیشه از بچگیم استفاده می‌کردن و این کتاب، نسخه‌ی تصویری همین جمله‌ست، البته بیشتر معنی لغویش تا معنی استعاریش

یک روز موشِ کور بدبخت کله‌ش رو یک ثانیه از لونه‌ش زیر زمین در میاره و همون لحظه یک پوپ ناقابل میوفته روی سرش. بیچاره راه میوفته ببینه که کی رو کله‌ش خرابکاری کرده که به هرکس میگه «تو بودی؟» میگه‌ «نه، مال من این شکلیه» و یک دور براش نمونه کار تولید می‌کنه‌

خلاصه کتاب بامزه‌ایه که در مورد این بخش بیولوژیکی حیوانات اطلاعات تصویری میده که خواننده یاد بگیره پاش رو روی اثر هنری کدوم حیوان می‌گذاره. اما خب از این بخش استعاری نمیشه غافل شد که حتی اگر یک لحظه از نقطه امنت خارج بشی، ممکنه به کله‌ت، اعصابت و حتی زندگیت ریده بشه و هرچی دنبال مقصر بگردی اوضاع فقط بدتر می‌شه

Pardon my French 😁

کتاب و صوتیش رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۴/۴/۱۱
Profile Image for Manny.
Author 48 books16.2k followers
July 26, 2017
Sitting next to a seven year old boy at dinner the other day, the conversation, as it so often does in these circumstances, turned to the interesting subject of poo. Jenkyn proudly informed me that he had received a copy of Plop Trumps for Christmas. I was treated to a precis of the rules.

"You might like The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunnit," I guessed. We were both delighted when it turned out that Jenkyn had in fact already read it.

"You got it for me from the English library," he told his mother.

"Did I?" she said uncertainly. "Honestly, I just can't keep up. I bring back a load of books, and an hour later he says he's finished them all."

It is a pleasure to meet the new generation of book nerds. Relax, everyone: the future is safe.
Profile Image for João Reis.
Author 108 books614 followers
January 17, 2021
A toupeira que queria saber quem lhe fizera aquilo na cabeça. Texto de Werner Holzwarth, ilustrações de Wolf Erlbruch. Tradução de Alexandre Honrado. Edição Kalandraka.
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Um thriller escatológico e pedagógico no que aos excrementos animais diz respeito, com ótimas ilustrações e uma trama clássica (toupeira injustiçada procura vingança). E, claro, com um excelente sentido de humor. Brilhante, perfeito!
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A revenge-seeking mole takes justice into his hands. Who did take a crap on his head?
This book is sheer perfection!
Profile Image for Jovilė.
40 reviews9 followers
December 10, 2025
kaip smagu, kai darbe praeinant koridoriumi į rankas patenka gera literatūra! iki galo palaikoma įtampa ir nustebino moralas. ačiū Miglei
Profile Image for Manybooks.
3,816 reviews101 followers
March 2, 2018
Although I have found Werner Holzwarth's Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat cute enough, naughty and yes, at times even somewhat laugh aloud hilarious (with especially Wolf Erlbruch's accompanying illustrations of the vrious types of animal poop both expressive and somehow disgustingly appealing), personally, I was and remain rather visually disgusted by the fact that the little mole just keeps the piece of dogshit on his head whilst he is running around, trying to discover what type of animal pooped on his head.

And considering that we Germans already have a to and for me rather frustrating and problematic international reputation of being majorly obsessed with anything and everything anal (with certain scholars and anthopologists even claiming that the success of the National Socialists, that Nazism, that the Third Reich was somehow made possible because of our tendency to enjoy and revel in excrement-based humour and the like), Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat, while it did cause me to chuckle and smile once or twice, more often than not, both text and images have actually made me feel rather uncomfortable, even to the point of cringing and shuddering at the probability of more potential stereotyping (and furthermore, the tit-for-tat revenge type ending, I really could do without, as in my humble opinion, while the little mole might have found out from the two flies that the piece of excrement on his noggin is from a canine, it is never even remotely shown that the butcher's dog Hans-Heinerich deliberarely defecated on the little mole's head and thus, the little mole defecating on the dog's head out of spite and revenge seems, or at least to me, immature, petty and rather vilely nasty and sad).
Profile Image for Shannon .
1,219 reviews2,583 followers
October 12, 2011
This is the story of a mole who, when he sticks his head up out of the ground one day, is poo'd on and he sets out to discover who did it. It never says "something did a poo on him", instead it says (in brackets):

"It looked a little like a sausage, and the worst thing was that it landed right on his head."

The mole, being short-sighted, can't see who did it, so he asks all the animals around, but they show him how they do it and he can see that their poo is quite different (and all the while there's this big turd still on his head).

My sister recommended this to me, along with The Gruffalo and a few others, and she always has great recommendations. Aside from the fact - yes, fact - that little kids are fascinated by their own bodily functions, in its own way this book teaches you how to recognise the excrement of different animals and birds. Don't you just love it?!

Okay so maybe you have to read it to get the appeal, but it truly is a funny and delightful book, that says a lot without actually saying anything. Even the title has a double-meaning: "business" referring to going to the toilet, meaning that the mole knew he hadn't gone to the toilet on his own head. But it also refers to the expression, mind your own business.

My one complaint is that I got the hardcover edition, but I got the tiny version. It is about the size of my hand, landscape-oriented, and while it's cute it is a bit hard to read, especially when you're reading it sideways so kids can see the pictures as you go (and the pictures are cute, too!). So if you're buying it online, check the dimensions first.
Profile Image for Kirk.
Author 32 books105 followers
November 4, 2012
Have you ever had one of those days. You know, like this:

description

Or this:

description

Little Mole has too, as evidenced by the cover of this book. Once your eyes graze that rich imagery, there's no question as to what "it" is in "whodunit." Someone shit on this mole's head, and he'd like to find out who. Thus begins the enthralling mystery that makes up the most substantial portion of this story.

But mystery isn't enough for today's discerning readers. Children need education, the important stuff like literacy skills . . . and knowledge of the excremental variations of earth's fauna. At least that appears to be the premise inspiring this book, which doubles as a coprophiliac's fantasy. As the story progresses, mole gets shit on by birds, watches massive lumps of shit "thunder" directly from a horse's ass, and more.

I'd like to take a moment to speak of the poetic devices in this book. The onomatopoeia accompanying the scenes of shitting are accurate for the most part. The viscous excrement of the pigeon splashes and sploshes accordingly, for example.

But there are some things that are a little unsettling, for one reason or another.

1. The rabbit's poop sounds like Snoop Dogg's rendition of a semi automatic weapon, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "rat-a-tat tat dat ass."

2. Mole enthusiastically observes that the goat's poop looks like "his favorite caramels." Seriously, mole. I've been having a hard enough time eating Paydays since one of my friends described his poop as "a nutty log" back in elementary school. Your observation about caramel poop has ruined them for good.

3. The only shit the mole has an aversion to is pig shit. Who would have guessed that pig crap is the only kind of animal shit that stinks? As someone who spent a lot of time on farms, I call bullshit on this one. Also, how can this mole complain about the smell of pig shit when it is likely eclipsed by the steaming heap of shit on his head?

Anyway, those are minor issues of contention in the debate over this book's quality. Overall it is an interesting read with a bittersweet chocolate twist at the end.

Once the mole finds out who done it, we learn it isn't just curiosity that motivates his actions. This fucker plans to exact revenge . . . by dropping a microscopic shit on the culprit's head. But I'm not going to tell you whodunit. You'll have to find that out for yourself. You are going to read this book, aren't you?

On an allegorical level, I think this is a story we all can relate to. Little Mole walks blindly through his life, seeking the assistance of others to understand his plight. The best they offer him is a steaming pile of shit, which Mole craftily makes the best of. Finally he reaches his goal, and leaves a nearly inconsequential dent in the world. But he's happy with his meager accomplishments, and that's what's important. To loosely paraphrase Hemingway, if we have no hope, the least we can do is make it through our bleak, inconsequential lives with a bit of dignity, even when the cards appear to be stacked against us.
Profile Image for Tracy.
111 reviews10 followers
January 12, 2008
This is the inspiring tale of a determined little talpid who stuck his head out of his hole and got shat on. Most of us would have just went back into the hole for a period of shame-eating or we would have knocked off the poop and continued to be the obedient prop of the military-industrial dictatorship ruling our world (You don't know Dick!). That's not good enough for this firecracker hero who candidly confronts the usual suspects. This is no poop noir--no snappy comebacks or curvy dames to make the pursuit of truth palatable to the Man. This is a subtly brutal look at how one nearly blind mammal seeks out the undeniable fact of 'who dun it.'
Profile Image for Nercs.
192 reviews81 followers
October 26, 2024
چی تو مغز نویسنده می‌گذشته که یه کتاب نوشته درباره انواع و اقسام 💩 حیوانات؟
Profile Image for Polly Batchelor.
824 reviews97 followers
February 9, 2022
139/1001 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

I have recently been rewatching Vicar of Dibley and Alice mentioned that her favourite book was a toss-up between 'Jill’s Gymkhana' and Werner Holzwarth’s 'The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business. I realised I had never read about this little mole.

I was in the library today, there the mole sat on the front shelf in the children's section and straight away I checked the book out.

It is about a mole who pokes his head out of his molehill one morning and a poo lands on his head. Throughout the story, the poo still sits there as he tries to discover who had done this.

"It looked a little like a sausage, and the worst thing was that it landed right on his head."
Profile Image for Manny.
Author 48 books16.2k followers
July 16, 2010
I've been working on our speech-enabled children's Internet game Minion Dominion for the last few months, and it's really helped me regain contact with my inner six year old. (Some people I know claim I have never lost contact with him... I'm not quite sure what they mean by that). Anyway, it has among other things reminded me how much small children like bathroom humour. "Poop" is currently the 24th most popular command, and "pee" isn't far behind.

description

Det var det fräckaste! is a good example of the kind of thing kids this age find excruciatingly funny. The plot is simple. A mole looks up out of his burrow one morning, and someone craps on his head. He's pretty annoyed, and goes around asking a bunch of different animals if they're the guilty party. They all say they had nothing to do with it, and show him their own turds as evidence.

But, finally... well, I wouldn't want to drop any spoilers! If you have a six year old kid, it's far from impossible that they will appreciate this fine book.
Profile Image for The Sporty  Bookworm.
463 reviews98 followers
August 4, 2024
C’est une lecture haletante qui commence dès le titre. En effet, la problématique est clairement énoncée : qui a donc déféqué sur la caboche du fier tunnelier ? C’est alors une enquête pleine de rebondissements qui nous font rencontrer les différents suspects : le pigeon, le cheval, la chèvre, la vache… Le suspens est à son comble et les événements coulent avec une certaine aisance, comme le nouveau couvre-chef de la taupe. Heureusement, avec le soutien indécrottable des mouches, la victime de ce geste infâme parvient à résoudre l’intrigue et de trouver l’auteur de ce bronze capillaire. L’épilogue est d’une intensité rare pour un tel illustré, mais je ne vous dévoilerai pas la méthode de la taupe pour se venger.
Profile Image for Madame Pérez Losa.
47 reviews4 followers
October 24, 2024
Me acabo de super divertir con este pequeño cuento infantil.
Para gente que somos de ciudad y nos adentramos en la vida rural, está genial para conocer los diferentes tipos de excrementos que tienen los animales de granja. Es más didáctico de lo que parece a simple vista y no sólo como aprendizaje en la niñez.
Además, las ilustraciones están genial.
Profile Image for Gert De Bie.
488 reviews61 followers
February 4, 2022
Onvermijdelijke klassieker voor de kleuterbibliotheek.

Dieren en drollen: wat meer wil een kind dat voorgelezen wordt?

De mol steekt zijn hoofd boven de grond en krijgt er een enorme drol op. Boos gaat hij bij alle dieren langs om te vragen of die op zijn kop gepoept hebben. Ze laten één voor één zien hoe zij hun drollen draaien en dat ze dus niet de dader zijn. Als de mol de dader vindt, zal zijn wraak zoet zijn...

Vertalingen als 'gepoept' of 'Wel hier en gunter' nemen we er - dankzij de Nederlandse boekenmarkt - al 32 jaar bij, ze doen niets af aan dit heerlijke voorleesboek.
Profile Image for Dr. des. Siobhán.
1,588 reviews35 followers
January 12, 2019
I'm a fan. The wee mowdie doesna ken wha keeched on his heid... And so he asks all the animals ;) just too cute in Scots
Profile Image for Vicky Flores.
106 reviews
October 25, 2024
Amo este libro demasiado, es de los que más me gusta leerle a mis niños porque les da mucha risa ( y a mi también ) 5/5
Profile Image for Plch.
65 reviews122 followers
September 23, 2015
Another child is potty training and this book is again popular in our home...
Profile Image for Abigail.
7,968 reviews263 followers
October 17, 2019
Originally published in German as Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat (literally, "Of the Little Mole Who Wanted to Know Who Did It On His Head"), and translated into English as The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit, this hilarious tale of scatological hi-jinks has now been made into a pop-up - or rather, a "plop-up" - edition, and released under this slightly different title, The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business. This book convulsed a small gaggle of my (adult) co-workers, who gathered around for an impromptu story-hour, and left still giggling helplessly. What can I say...? Apparently Werner Holzwarth knows how to communicate with our inner six-year-olds.

When a little mole sticks his head out of his hole, a sausage-shaped turd lands on his head, setting off an unusual quest, as he goes in search of the one who did their business in such an inconsiderate fashion. From hares to cows, the mole questions his fellow creatures, seeing a defecatory demonstration from each, until finally - with the aid of some flies - he discovers the culprit! Hysterical enough when simply a picture-book, this story becomes even more entertaining as a pop-up, as little (or big) turds move around the page. Younger readers, with their insatiable appetite for potty humor - think Everyone Poops , Walter the Farting Dog , The Adventures of Captain Underpants - will be particularly amused!
83 reviews7 followers
January 20, 2011
I laughed out loud when It first read this book. It appealed to my sense of the ridiculous and naughty. It is the story of a little mole who woke up one day and found a turd on his head. With all the passion of a 19th century explorer he sets out to find to whom it belongs. Does it belong to a rabbit? Does it belong to a goat? And so it goes on, animal, after animal as the mole examines each sample and asks if this is where the poo came from?

In the end, with some help form some buzzing flies, the mole discovers a sleeping dog, and deposits his own justice, on the dogs head.

Anyone one who has ever tried to toilet train a toddler will know how valuable this book can be to the young (and young at heart) who are fascinated with their own “movements” – a scatological book with a good poo joke at the heart of it.
Profile Image for Joan Oegema.
55 reviews1 follower
October 16, 2009
I found this book entertaining, although I wondered why I was reading and enjoying a book about an animal wandering around with poop on his head, learning about other animal's poop. From an educational standpoint, this would be a good science book about various animal skat, etc. However, I found the ending of the book absolutely wrong. We do not teach our children two wrongs make a right but this book sends that message. For this reason, I must give the book a low rating. I'm sure the author could have ended on a better note.
Profile Image for Ольга.
63 reviews2 followers
April 3, 2021
Мораль така:
▪️усім байдуже до того, що з тобою
▪️як хочеш знайти істину - знайдеш
Profile Image for Sharvan.
22 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2025
I love how stupid and funny this book is. It’s short, entertaining and teaches little children how different kind of animals poop.
Profile Image for Levan Shakulashvili.
275 reviews
May 24, 2023
ძაან აიქონობაა ეს წიგნი. მეგობრებთან ერთად პრაქტიკაში ყოფნისას წავიკითხე და ძაან კაი დღე იყო ეგ დღე და მენატრება. სიუჟეტიც ძაან სახალისო კონცეფციაა, must read if u ask me ;)
Profile Image for lily jg.
17 reviews9 followers
August 8, 2022
let me set the sc(K)ene. I was intoduced to this classic novella of the era by a beloved loved one (you may be familiar with her- for she goes to my very school, Abbotslaying for Girls). I listened to it on audiobook, whilst my (also very much beloved) maths professor (the infamous Mr Smith (played by Braddocks Pit)) told me off for not focusing on met studies. however, I ventured forth. i must know. what must I know, you might ask. I needed to know who pooped on Amber Heards head (see attached)

https://www.sheknows.com/entertainmen...

Now I know. now I know who pooped on amber heards head. (fun fact! remove the r and s and its amber head :))

This story was 10/10 and I was thoroughly intrigued throughout. and don't even get me started on the plot twist ending. Even my colleague, who had read this novella prior, was shocked. So much, in fact, that she pooed herself!!!

ok yahoo got to go my esteemed guests. I have a poo to clean up in my own special way ;)
Profile Image for Juliëtte.
16 reviews
September 25, 2025
GOUD! Ik hou van dit boek. Ik vind het grappig dat de mol met de drol op zijn hoofd blijft rondlopen. Elk dier laat zien hoe hij poept. Steeds krijgt de mol dat ook bijna op zich. Al die vieze poepgeluidjes vind ik heel grappig. Mijn favoriete moment is als de mol wraak neemt door zelf een drolletje op de dader zijn hoofd te leggen. Zo’n mini drolletje op het grote hoofd😂
Displaying 1 - 30 of 522 reviews

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