''Everyone Poops'' is the title of US editions of the English translation (by Amanda Mayer Stinchecum) of , a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
children's book
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
written and illustrated by the prolific children's author
Tarō Gomi
is a Japanese children's book writer who is currently one of Japan's most prolific Children's literature, children's book illustrators and authors. He is a graduate of the Kuwazawa Design Institute. His first children's picture book was publishe ...
and first published in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
by
Fukuinkan Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded on February 1, 1952.
They have published multiple best-selling series, including '' Guri and Gura'' and '' Iyaiyaen'' by Rieko Nakagawa and the ''Kiki's De ...
in 1977 within the series .
The English translation has been published in the US by
Kane/Miller, within the series "My Body Science", and by
Scholastic. In Britain, the book is titled ''Everybody Poos'' and is published by
Frances Lincoln
Frances Elisabeth Rosemary Lincoln (20 March 1945 – 26 February 2001) was an English independent publisher of illustrated books. She published under her own name and the company went on to become Frances Lincoln Publishers. In 1995, Lincoln w ...
.
The book tells children that all animals
defecate
Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion, and is a necessary process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material known as feces from the digestive tract via the anus. The act has a variety of names ranging fro ...
and that they have always done so. The book is intended to relieve shame and embarrassment around the act of defecating by explaining to children that it is a natural part of life.
The book has also been translated into Spanish and
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
.
Story
''Everyone Poops'' does not have a plot. The first sixteen pages contain various prompts regarding defecation in animals such as opposites ("An elephant makes a big poop" and "
mouse makes a tiny poop"), comparisons (that various species produce various sizes and shapes of poop) and questions ("What does whale poop look like?").
On the seventeenth page, a boy with black
overalls
Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers".
Overalls were ...
and a red shirt is introduced, seen running into a bathroom. The book then goes on to explain how people of all ages, from adults to very young children, defecate, and how
infants
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
may use
diapers
A diaper /ˈdaɪpə(r)/ (American and Canadian English) or a nappy (Australian English, British English, and Hiberno-English) is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without using a toilet, by absorbing or conta ...
.
After that, there are only three more illustrations that do not feature the boy.
On the next page of the book, the child uses
toilet paper
Toilet paper (sometimes called toilet tissue or bathroom tissue) is a tissue paper product primarily used to clean the anus and surrounding anal region of feces after defecation, and to clean the perineal area and external genitalia of u ...
and flushes the toilet.
The final portion of the book explains that because every animal eats, they must therefore defecate, and the book ends with rear views of the boy and six different animals defecating and the words "Everyone Poops".
Publication
''Everyone Poops'' was written by
Tarō Gomi
is a Japanese children's book writer who is currently one of Japan's most prolific Children's literature, children's book illustrators and authors. He is a graduate of the Kuwazawa Design Institute. His first children's picture book was publishe ...
, and first published by
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
-based
Fukuinkan Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded on February 1, 1952.
They have published multiple best-selling series, including '' Guri and Gura'' and '' Iyaiyaen'' by Rieko Nakagawa and the ''Kiki's De ...
as ''Minna Unchi'' in 1977.
It was acquired by Kane/Miller in 1993. Kane/Miller was later bought by Educational Development Corporation. ''Everyone Poops'' is the best-known title sold by the company.
[
] This book is sold in the U.S. through traditional bookstores such as
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...
and on the
party plan
The party plan is a method of marketing products by hosting what is presented as a social event at which products will be offered for sale. It is a form of direct selling. The primary system for generating sales leads for home party plan sales i ...
by independent booksellers.
Editions
* ''Minna Unchi'' (). Kagaku no Tomo Kessaku-shū (). Tokyo: Fukuinkan Shoten (), 1977. For later printings, . 28 pages in Japanese edition.
* ''Everyone Poops.'' Trans. Amanda Mayer Stinchecum. My Body Science. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Kane/Miller, 1993. .
* ''Everyone Poops.'' Trans. Amanda Mayer Stinchecum. La Jolla: Kane/Miller, 2001. . New York: Scholastic, 2004. .
* ''Everybody Poos.'' Trans. Amanda Mayer Stinchecum. London: Frances Lincoln, 2002. . London: Frances Lincoln, 2004.
* ''Todos hacemos caca.'' Trans: Leopoldo Iribarren. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Kane/Miller, 1997.
* ''ʻƯ.'' Krung Thēp: Samnakphim Phrǣo Phư̄an Dek, 1995. . Krungthēp: ʻAmmarin, 2003. .
See also
*
Toilet training
Toilet training (also potty training or toilet learning) is the process of training someone, particularly a toddler or infant, to use the toilet for urination and defecation. Attitudes toward training in recent history have fluctuated substantial ...
*''
The Gas We Pass
''The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts'' (おなら ''Onara'') is a children's book written by Shinta Chō ( 長新太). It was first published in Japan in 1978; the first American edition was in 1994. The book tells children about flatulence ( ...
''
*''
What's Your Poo Telling You?''
*''
The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business''
References
{{reflist, 30em
1977 children's books
Japanese books
Japanese picture books
Books about feces
Books about toilet training