You Wouldn't Want to Live Without Toilets!

by Fiona Macdonald, David Antram (Illustrator)

Uses humor in both text and illustrations to describe what it would be like to live without the toilet and describes how people managed to dispose of their waste in the past.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Juvenile, Science, Middle Grade, Picture Books

32 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Fiona Macdonald studied history at Cambridge University and at the University of East Anglia. She has taught in schools, adult education and university, and is the author of numerous books for children on historical topics.

Reviews

[Judith Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! These children's books must take a mass of research. I certainly learnt some new things. Great illustrations by David Antram. A great present for little boys who are reluctant to read, I would have thought (and little girls, natch - my three year old granddaughter currently finds the subject of poo hilarious!).

The details about pigsty toilets are pretty stomach-churning, and would perhaps be a help to those, like me, considering going vegetarian, nay vegan! Apparently these are still in use in some parts of the world.

On a serious note, though, surely fully effective human waste composting must be on the cards? We can't carry on as we are wasting water, plus also it should, properly composted for sufficient time, be a valuable fertiliser resource, especially if more of us do go vegan?

Will definitely look out for the rest in this series!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.... First of all the name is super funny, but it has a lot of really interesting facts that I would not know if I did not come across this amazing book.

Inside is a bunch of hilariously wonderful features. There are tons of fun facts and diagrams. There is even a timeline of what kind of toilet was used first, where it was used. Something we never really think about is that humans used to not use toilet paper!! Thanks to this book I learned this. I was so involved in this book I started doing my own research on toilets.

5/5 highly recommend. For anyone. I am in college and I loved it. :)

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in this series. I can't imagine living without working toilets. And the way people have gotten rid of waste was horrible. I'm glad I didn't live then. I like having my own "privy" and not have to go like the Ancient Romans. They had public toilets with rows of seats and no privacy. And the poor pigs. Yuck. Of course, lots of information and great pictures.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like the other books in this series, this is a quirky, fun look at nonfiction. I would think that it would work well with anyone in grades 6-9 who would be working to review nonfiction text structures and wanted a book that would engage readers, especially boys. :)

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enthralling addition to this humorous non fiction middle grade series. Reading this book makes me thankful for running water and indoor plumbing. The book also talks about ways to support those people who don't have access to clean water or modern plumbing.

[Suzanne Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information book (and series) for fourth graders. It grabs and holds their attention and information sticks with kids because it's so dang engaging!! Love recommending this to my students!

[Aim]

We're using this as part of our water unit in middle school. The students really like this series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting factoid book and historical overview of toilets. We learned some new things, other things we already knew. More of my family listened in for this book. (Could it have been the subject matter???)

My one complaint was that we didn't like the font some if the text is in (same for others in this series also). It's busy and distracting, and difficultto read for kids with learning disabilities.

[Ramona Cantaragiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read, highly informative, eye-catching illustrations and filled with humor. I've learnt some things about toilets and I enjoyed the presentation of the entire history of human waste disposal. Highly recommend it for children who want to learn how stuff work.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've read a few books in this series, and overall neither me nor my 8yo has been wowed. She was definitely interested in this particular title though, asking lots of questions and staying engaged as we read.

[Anne Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you were ever interested in the history of toilets, this is the book for you! The pages take you through different eras and cultures on toiletry.

[Rikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and interesting information.
Sometimes the layout is a little confusing - for our younger readers.

[Mary Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book on the history of waste disposal, from which I learned, among other things, that artificial Christmas trees were invented by a company that made toilet brushes. I'll never look at my tree in the same way again. Kids will enjoy this, and it may inspire some budding plumbers. At the very least, it will make readers think twice about time travel.