In the beginning, potty time meant the great outdoors . . . People have been going potty since, well, since the beginning of people! Ever wonder what humans used before potties or paper? You might be surprised at the clever tools that humans came up with over the centuries. From the great outdoors to ceramic pots, bum brushes and bidets, prepare for an adventure as we explore the interesting and sometimes shocking history of human potty practices! Award-winning children’s author Sophia Gholz and illustrator Xiana Teimoy team up to put a humorous spin on the fun and fascinating facts surrounding the history of toilet paper (and other potty tools) in this delightful book.

"A look at how humans have used toilets and other toileting tools/objects throughout history and civilization. Includes a selected bibliography and glossary at the end"--

A look at how humans have used toilets and other toileting tools/objects throughout history.

"It's one of the most important items in any bathroom. But toilet paper often goes overlooked-until you need it! So who invented this household staple? How is it made? And how does it end up in homes-and bathrooms-around the world? Learn the answers and unravel the history of toilet paper in this informational book"--

This is the hidden history of an invention that we use every day but seldom dare to speak of. In medieval China it was cutting-edge technology. For 19th-century Americans it was a newfangled alternative to dried corncobs and the Sears & Roebuck catalogue. Wits in Georgian London preferred pages of bad poetry. The sages of ancient Athens were content to wield the xylospongion instead. It's the tale of toilet paper; the biography of bumfodder. From its origins at the Imperial court of Emperor Hongwu to its reinvention as a quack remedy for haemorrhoids in 1870s New York city; from the Dutch and their mussel-shells to Henry VIII and his Groom of the Stool; from Madame de Prie's pioneering bidet to the space-age Washlet; from leaf-wielding chimpanzees to Mr Thirsty Fiber and the world's first three-adjective loo-roll - it's a story of necessity and invention, luxury and squalor, experiment and tradition. What does a submarine crew do when it runs out of toilet paper? Who stole the Pope's loo-roll? Does printer's ink cause piles? How do you fold a sheet of toilet paper in half more than seven times? What did 'bumphleteers' do, and why? Richard Smyth answers the questions you never thought to ask about the product we can't live without.

Black & White Edition How did people clean their rear ends before the invention of paper? The ancient Greeks used stones! Really! This rear-window view of the history of the world also details how the kings and queens of England and France wiped their royal asses? Not like you and I. What does Judaism, Islam and Buddhism have to say about this act? Surprisingly a lot. How did an ass-kisser -- that is, man who actually kissed his patron's ass -- almost become Pope. Who is the real father of toilet paper? You won't find the answer on the Internet. Why do most people in the world think that wiping with paper is disgusting? Is there a better way? This is the first book to present a fully-documented history of the act that every human being has done every day since the beginning of time.

As a boy, Jadav Payeng was distressed by the destruction deforestation and erosion was causing on his island home in India's Brahmaputra River. So he began planting trees. What began as a small thicket of bamboo, grew over the years into 1,300 acre forest filled with native plants and animals. The Boy Who Grew a Forest tells the inspiring true story of Payeng--and reminds us all of the difference a single person with a big idea can make.