Review: Stinky Sanitation Inventions by Katie Marsico

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Did you know that people with rakes used to do the work of garbage trucks? Or that porta-potties were put on ships to keep workers from running to shore for bathroom breaks? Get ready to learn the odd stories behind inventions you use every day. From the T.P. of Chinese emperors to the landfills of ancient Greece, you'll find out how we got the sanitation inventions that keep us healthy and keep the world smelling fresh.
The Awesome Inventions You Use Every Day series:
What would you do without deodorant, Band-Aids, or flushable toilets? Can you imagine living in a world with no television, and no microwave popcorn to eat while you watch it? We might take these items for granted now, but they haven't always been around. Some were centuries in the making. Others were created purely by accident. This fun series reveals the mistakes, coincidences, controversies, and sheet craziness that brought us our modern conveniences and everyday essentials—from your basic sanitary needs to the latest gadget.

MY TAKE:
Most of the time, people don't really think about how things like toilets and toilet paper came to be.

In Stinky Sanitation Inventions, readers get to learn about the origins of toilets, sewers, etc. The book is filled with pictures, as well as additional trivia.

I found this book interesting. I enjoy reading reference and trivia books, so even though the topic isn't something I'm usually interested in, I found a lot of information I hadn't known about before. For example, I had no idea that portable toilets started out as something for shipyard workers to use so they don't have to go to the docks to use the toilet.

The history of the inventions are short but has plenty of information. The pictures, particularly the old ones, were also nice. However, the layout was a little bit boring for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publications for the e-ARC. Publication date of Stinky Sanitation Inventions is on September 1, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. The text for each section is concise but packed with fun trivia and stories.
2. The old pictures are fun to look at.
3. There's plenty of trivia to read.

THE BAD:

1. The layout may not work for everyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Talk to the researchers who toured a landfill and discovered twenty-five-year-old hot dogs, corncobs, and grapes!

READ IT IF:

1. Your kid likes gross stuff.
2. Your child likes reading trivia books.
3. You have a curious child.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?