There's a zoo in my poo by Felice Jacka
Illus. by Rob Craw. Pan Macmillan Australia, 2020. ISBN:
9781760783044.
(Age: 5-12) Recommended. Professor Felice Jacka is a world expert in
the field of Nutritional Psychiatry and gut health and this book
will satisfy all those poo-obsessed and curious children wanting to
know more about the amazing stuff going on in their bodies. A snappy
rhyme at the start of the book introduces readers to the idea that
your poo is a zoo and the zoo keeper is you. Bright, funny
illustrations of microscopic bugs help to guide readers through the
sometimes complex and in-depth content, not all of which will be
accessible or understandable for the youngest of the target
audience. Separated into chapters, it looks at the bugs that live in
our body, the role of bugs in our digestive system and their
importance for our overall health, the importance of exposure to
dirt and germs and what we should and shouldn't feed our zoo. There
are also some easy recipes included at the back of the book that
utilise gut-friendly, high-fibre ingredients such as lentils,
legumes and wholegrains.
This is a super important book not just for children but also for
parents who are trying to improve the gut health of their children.
It makes it so much easier to get children on board with eating
nutritious food when they understand the reasons for doing so and
this book provides child-friendly and engaging content to enable
this. This book will spur lively conversations around the dinner
table around whether we are feeding our bugs the right sorts of
foods and give children the language and scientific knowledge to
explain why some foods are good for us and some are not. Some older
kids will love reading this from start to finish but other parents
may like to read parts of the book with their children separately to
help them understand their digestive system and to encourage healthy
eating choices.
This is a recommended addition to the non-fiction section of every
school library. Themes: Digestive Health, Microbiota.
Nicole Nelson