Review of The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff

Authors

Hannah Elizabeth Smith, Cedarville UniversityFollow

Publisher

Margaret K. McElderry Books

City

New York, New York, United States of America

Date of Publication

2021

ISBN

9781534449299

Date of Review

2022

Disciplines

Library and Information Science | Modern Literature

Keywords

Children's literature, reviews

Review

The Great Stink examines the sewage systems of London from 1500 to present day, by following the individual and combined histories of the Thames River, cholera, and Joseph Bazalgette’s attempts to remove human poop from the river and its putrid smell from the city. The story follows these three timelines to show the reader that poop and a lack of sewage is not merely a stinky matter, but rather shows that environmental cleanliness is necessary for health and life. Its illustrations depict poop and cholera outbreaks as deadly, while easily capturing a child’s interest with scenes of people dumping poop from their windows and families walking under umbrellas to avoid being sprinkled with waste. As it balances the seriousness of thousands of deaths with humorous scenes, parents and teachers can introduce difficult history in a fun-filled way. Both children and adults will enjoy this fact-filled story as it discusses unique, poop-related incidents. Recommended Hannah Smith, Centennial Library Intern, Cedarville University

Recommended Citation

Smith, Hannah Elizabeth, "Review of The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff" (2022). Library Intern Book Reviews. 342.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/342

Files