BART FUBBLES

A humorous picture book about an unusually gassy young boy.

Warren’s debut tells the story of Bart, who from infancy is notoriously gassy. While his father and older brother find his farting funny, his mother, a bit embarrassed by the outbursts, is quick to remind the men in her life about more polite euphemisms for Bart’s farts—“little puffs,” “breaking wind,” “little toot,” etc. As he grows up and is about to start school, she tells him he must not let out gas there, as it isn’t polite. But Bart is unable to comply with her wishes. It begins when he attempts to kick a soccer ball and lets out some gas along the way. From there, he quickly rises to something of a gas expert, developing many variations on the average fart, such as the Ghost Fart and the Firecracker Fart. Although his grandfather tells him he will leave his childish farting antics behind as he grows up, Bart seems skeptical. He even forms the Carting Flub with some friends, each of them taking secret fart nicknames; his own becomes Bart Fubbles (a play on Fart Bubbles). Things do change, though, when a new girl named Angela starts at school and has trouble making friends. Bart goes out of his way to make Angela feel welcome and, in so doing, takes extra special care to avoid passing gas. The text is accompanied by brightly colored cartoon illustrations à la Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants that show a modern, diverse group of characters. The plotline is weak, though, with Angela appearing as a late addition to provide Bart with the opportunity to redeem himself. But the book is more about jokes and humor anyway, and it does an excellent job delivering a story young boys will find especially appealing.

Warning: attempts to use this as a read-aloud may result in a laughing, unruly audience.