Dung Beetle On a Roll

By Sandra Severgnini

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Okay, so I’m a dung beetle. What is dung you ask? Well, it’s the best thing ever! It’s another word for poo –…is how Sandra Severgnini starts off her cheerful, informative, always interesting  account of the life of a dung beetle in Australia. Apparently dung beetles eat, rest and live in dung.

There’s an art to rolling that ball and our beetle gets too ambitious when he grabs a huge pile and then comes to grief as he and it roll down a hill. It’s because he is trying to impress a potential mate. So he tries again. Squeak and wheeze, huff and  puff. Up the hills and down again. Over rocks and over sand. Through the grass and all around. It is no surprise that in Ancient Egypt the dung beetle or scarab was a symbol of rebirth and human endurance.

The illustrations are  masterpieces of close up action, colourful and detailed. I know we are talking about poo, but these illustrations are beautiful with a subtle blending of tones and hues. There is contrast between the very large cows and the quite small beetle, ants and flies that gather around dung. Sandra is very experienced with botanical illustrations and this is evident here in every page.

The text is simple, straightforward with a colloquial tone that will resonate with young children. The book is full of information both literal and visual augmented by two fascinating pages of  additional facts. Did you know that Australia has more than 500 species of dung beetle but 44 species were introduced to cope with all the cow poo produced by the cattle industry?

This book is obviously very useful as a classroom resource since it is so accessible and informative but it is also a great book to have in your home, sparking questions about poo, recycling, animals, life cycles and more.

Recommended

Teacher’s Notes

CSIRO Publishing 2024

Sandra Severgnini