Make Them Say Poo by Stephen

Make Them Say Poo is a picture book designed to be read aloud by adults to younger children. Through rhyming verse, it draws the reader into a playful trap, where the word POO lies in waiting, contained within other words.

Written under the pen name Stephen, aka Steve MinOn, the book uses phonics and sounding words as the basis of its concept. It will encourage readers to break words into syllables and anticipate rhyme.

Illustrator Rudi de Wet brings bright, stylised graphic art to the pages. His artwork is energetic and colourful, with character and joy bursting from the page.

Toilet humour is always very popular with younger readers. It's a natural part of child development, and it has its place in bringing in reluctant readers. 

But it's also incredibly overdone. The book is designed to turn the traditional reading experience on its head and to create interaction between the reader and the book. There are a number of other books that do the same without resorting to the power of the potty - The Book with No Pictures, Counting to Bananas, Press Here, and Don't Think of Lions, to name a few.

Make Them Say Poo didn't appeal to the younger readers in my household, but for those in the depths of the toilet humour phase, it will be a hit.

Reviewer: Rebekah Lyell

Affirm Press