Listen. It’s not just young boys who like fart jokes! It’s 2023 people and my daughters giggle endlessly about ‘tooting’ and I’m ok with that. So I definitely had my 15 mins of being an awesome parent when we read this book. It also sparked a discussion about Egyptian Sphinx and the Pyramids, so that’s a positive! The illustrations are colorful and the storyline is fun. The creative way of the Dad thinking he’s going to watch a real history show reminded us a little of how Bandit might joke around in Bluey. If you’re going to review a children’s book read it to a child. My kids loved it and it can spark more ‘proper’ historical discussions! I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy. ( )

I’m not the target audience for the book, so some of this review comes from more of an adult perspective. The story is silly, yet creative. Some of the jumps in time to different historical events seem to skip many years, and I’m curious why certain ones were included over others (more important? led to more fart jokes?). My son, on the other hand, absolutely LOVED this story and making fart noises at the appropriate times. Kraft jokes never get old and that’s what kids will love about this story, especially at the end!

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.* ( )

I requested The Big Bang and Other Farts from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program because I could see it as a great future gift for my currently 19-month-old great-grandson or 17-month-old great-nephew. I'm a little surprised at other reviewers who seemed to expect a nonfiction book, or something more educational. The description of the book on the request pages did not imply that it was supposed to be either.

An anthropomorphic animal dad and his two kids are on a sofa with popcorn to watch a documentary. Various events in science and history are explained as having been caused by a fart, much to Dad's chagrin and the kids' amusement. The text by author Daisy Bird (a pen name for Jacky Colliss Harvey) is complemented by the gouache (per the book's verso) artwork by illustrator Marianna Coppo (whose style is not like Corporate Memphis, in my opinion).

Would I buy this book for a school library (or for the teachers-in-training collection I used to manage for a university library)? Probably not, but mainly because such book budgets tend to be limited (mine certainly was). Would I buy it for a public library or for a young child? Yes. Not every book needs to be educational. Sometimes they're just for fun. ( )

Excellent illustrations, a cute concept, great way to introduce that little one that's obsessed with toilet humor to broader strokes of history but not my first choice book by any means. There's nothing to be gained from it other than laughter and if your house isn't already dying from fart humor there will be no avoiding it after one reading of this book. ( )

I received a free copy of The Big Bang and Other Farts: A Blast Through the Past written by Daisy Bird and illustrated by Marianna Coppo in exchange for an honest review.

A father rat’s good intention of having his offspring learn about their world in a serious documentary goes awry. The universe began with a “pffft”! The fart, or the passing of gas, is the cause of some of our world’s most important events. Why creatures left the ocean to land? Why did the dinosaurs become extinct? What caused the Ice Age? The “pffft” is also why some of our most iconic images are the way they are: Mona Lisa’s smile is due to flatulence.

Even though the father has critical misgivings of the show, this book is not a stinker. ( )