With thanks to the author, publishers Hachette’s Children’s Group and NetGalley, for providing me with a DRC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Have you ever wondered how medieval knights wearing full body armour managed to poop? Or how someone might empty their bowels inside a tank? Then this is the book for you!

It’s a lively and entertaining tour through the history of poo, told in a fun and informative way that is sure to keep younger readers engaged while they learn.

The reader learns how humans have made their poos throughout history, from Roman times to Medieval, Tudor, Victorian, and right up to the current day. We even see the challenges faced by astronauts in space when it comes to dealing with this most basic of human necessities.

There is also some interesting information on how the technology involved has evolved in this time, from the vinegar-soaked sponges used by the Romans to the self-flushing toilets of today. We also see the further uses poo can be used for today, including the manufacture of compost and certain gases that can be used to power building, cars etc.

All in all an enjoyable and informative read and, dare I say it, an ideal book to browse through whilst sitting on the throne yourself!

A very commendable achievement here, in telling me things I didn't know – the story of the giant octopus that travelled up a Roman sewer and helped itself to pickled fish, last year's discovery of a kind of flushing loo at Xi'an, China, and the honourable mention Ipswich gives to its coprolite past. That is secondary, of course to the prime aim, of teaching the young what they don't know, and this probably does that on every page. In an annoyingly whiffy timeline it takes us from Roman times of public loos and shared sponges-on-sticks, up to the ISS and how space junk is hoovered up when we get rid of it out of our rear ends as an astronaut. It's a shame the time travelling is so erratic, but that said this remains very readable, and we can pretty much follow every beat of detail we need to. And the purpose of the book is fully justified – this does show we can learn history from how we disposed of our poo, and vice versa. What it gains in having so many asides and box-outs to round out our historical knowledge and medical history, it probably loses in some terrible jokes, but in being educational for me it's a strong four stars at least.

A really fascinating read about how civilisations have got rid of their waste through time. It’s a quick read, with short, chatty chapters, actually very informative!

The stinky side of history.

On the back of Horrible Histories, it's now time for the pongiest facts and stories from the past.

From ancient history onwards, Edge gives us people, places, puns and poo (like what I did there?).

It's actually quite an essential piece of our past - what we do with our waste, what inventions we've come up with to sweep away the stools.

There were loads of wonderful stories in here, it's not as if these are stories you are taught in school. Really quite fascinating stuff, for adults too!

I tried to read this aloud to my 7 year old, but it really wasn't something he enjoyed listening to. In a couple of years I expect he'll chuckle along reading this himself, but it's not ideal for sharing together as a bedtime read. I however, continued without him and thought it was excellent. I'd be interested to read an adult version with still gorier details (considering Edge's adult titles!).

For those interested in the disgusting side of our history, and poo in general. Laid out in short chapters, it's chatty, with jokes and constant illustrations, you won't even realise you're learning anything.

For ages 8 and above.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

History stinks - at least when it comes to the history of poop, as is the case here. The humorously written chapters give the reader a completely new look at different periods of world history. How did the Romans do it? Which throne did Cleopatra use? And how do astronauts actually poop? It also shows that going to the toilet was not always safe. The book contains many exciting and curious facts for children and adults alike, and the humorous illustrations complete the overall picture. I had to laugh out loud several times at the writing style and the episodes described. A recommendation for anyone who would like to approach the story in a different way or is looking for a suitable read for, well, going to the toilet.

If we had more lessons at school based around poo the world would be a different place. What's not to love about poo!! and who doesn't love a good poo pun- Have you seen the movie Diarrhoea? it leaked so they had to realise it early or poo jokes aren't my favourite jokes. But they're a solid 2. The book goes through the history of poo with a lot of interesting facts about what we can gain/learn from what comes out of our bodies. It also included poo jokes, illustrations, and a quiz (to make sure you have been paying attention). So pretty much everything we need to know about poo.

The book can be enjoyed by both children and adults- My nephews would absolutely love it. The youngest is obsessed with anything related to the human body so this one is right up his street. I will certainly be picking up a copy when its published. Suzie makes poo a topic of conversation. Yes it is funny but it is important to be able to talk about it and ask questions. She writes in a way to make it more relatable. As it is something we all do.

Thank you Netgalley and Wren & Rock for a copy of the book for an honest review

Suzie Edge proves that she can write as well for children as she does for adults. A chronologic, coprologic race through the ages, the author has the same talent as Greg Jenner in cramming enormous amounts of information into children while making them think that all they're doing is laughing at poo jokes (and there are a LOT of poo jokes)! A great addition to any library - it is sure to be well borrowed (hopefully by people who've thoroughly washed their hands after exploring the subject matter...)

OMG! This is sooooo going to be a hit among my students. It is everything the title suggests: Poo through the ages. I love how it is full of anecdotal stories about poo (Cum'on, who would have documented a senator passing wind in Roman times, so it has to be anecdotal.) mixed with a lot of interesting historical facts. My kids will go absolutely gaga over this.

According to Amazon, this book is aimed at readers aged 7+, which at 30, I technically qualify for. As I am indeed, aged 7 or up. But I will admit it was my childish, immature side that wanted to read this. I do have children in the family who would love it and I might let them read it after, but the childish side of me wanted to read a book about poo! Who says reading kids books can't be educational.

I haven't studied history since 2007 and so can't remember every single thing we studied, but I can say with certainty that we didn't read much about poo. History is often seen as children's least favourite subjects as it can be a bit dry. Maybe if we threw (not literally) a bit of poo in, it might become a bit more popular. 

I think this could be quite an important book for kids to read. Yes it's a fun read, it's rude, and immature on the surface, and there's a lot of giggling. But it goes deeper than that. In terms of our health, our poo is incredibly important, and it's important to talk about it, but adults don't tend to, or they feel awkward about it. But by creating a fun, seemingly inconsequential book about it, hopefully it will make a new generation feel more comfortable about the topic.

The copy I had was a digital one and so I can't say for certain whether it's the same or differs from the finished physical copy, but I think they'll be the same, but my copy had some fabulous illustrations in. Not too complicated for young readers, but detailed enough for older readers. They were fun and really helped tell the story.

It's perfectly pitched for its audience. It's full of facts and anecdotes, but it also has jokes and little witty comments, and a quiz. She doesn't hide away from the fact that talking about poo is funny, and I think that is what makes it so successful. I can think of many children (and adults) in my family that would enjoy this.

All being equal, as an adult, I thought it was really interesting, well researched, well written, well portrayed, well put together, and it was just a really good read. It's not that I wasn't expecting it to be so, but a book aimed at 7+ year olds is not always one suitable for adults, but I was really pleasantly surprised by it.