Someone Farted by Bruce Eric Kaplan. PICTURE BOOK. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018. $16. 9781481490634
The Krupke family is off to do their Saturday supermarket run. The loathsome tasks takes a turn for the worse when somebody farts in the car, but no one owns up. As the family of four argues about the culprit, the inside of the car fills up with stinky brown air. Rolling the windows down doesn't make the smell go away. Neither does hand sanitizer, though its stinging droplets do make them nearly crash the car and get pulled over by a police officer. From there the story follows ever-crazier twists and turns until, ultimately, the family is forced to ask themselves: does it really matter who farted, as long as the smell eventually goes away? And, more importantly, what will make their Saturday errands go away once the fart emergency is over?
Kids who find potty humor and absurd stories funny will likely find Who Farted? amusing. I, however, found it gross, over-the-top, amateurishly illustrated, and ultimately a bit depressing -- and so did most of the kids I tested it on. Because of this, Who Farted? may work as an individual checkout for kids who gravitate toward that sort of humor, but the writing, illustrations, and story itself just don't pass the test for whole-class read-alouds.
Sydney G., Elementary Library Media Specialist
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