Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray and illustrated by Audrey Colman was unlike any book I have ever encountered. It was about dog farts. Personally, I was a little shocked anyone chose to write a children's book about this. I hate to admit it, but I found it entertaining. Although passing gas is gross, this story put a fun spin on the dog who had problems with this issue.
I didn't think I would like this book at all when I picked it off the shelf. I assumed it would be gross. However, if a book about farting can be done in a tasteful way, the authors achieved this. As far as being controversial, I assume it is regarding the topic of passing gas. Really? I can see people thinking "ew" or "why" but to actually refuse to read this book of be offended by it I think is extreme. I believe most children would love this book. In fact, I found myself smiling. The dog was kind, and he didnt' want to be sent back to the pound because he loved his family. Therefore, he tried to stop by holding it it. Well, he did until he could hold it no more. The night this happened, the family was being robbed! The burgulars tied his snout so he couldn't bark, but he was still able to pass gas. This led to the capture of the criminals and kept the family's items safe. The parents simply could not get rid of Walter now! I was relieved and happy about this ending.
The illustrations in this book were great! They were done in a way that was not really proportionate, and some of the elements looked almost life-like. The cartoons truly looked as though they were alive. The text was untraditional and fairly large. I also liked how the picture would often have texts within them that added to the picture as a whole.
I liked this book. I can see children thinking this book was hilarious. If this book offends some, don't read it. However, I think it is important to allow some humor (even if a little gross) to be available to children.
This is a great post! You do a nice job explaining why you liked the book and how your mind was changed as you read. I agree with you that it seems extreme that people would want the book banned just because it's kind of crude or gross.
ReplyDeleteI could definitely see kids loving this book and banning it would kind of be denying the reality of kids... they are going to laugh when people fart and make poop jokes whether or not this book is in their classroom.