Dad's Runaway Butt!

by Dawn McMillan

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Dad's Runaway Butt! is a massively silly adventure in rhyming verse for all ages by Dawn McMillan. Released in New Zealand in 2024 as Dad's Runaway Bum! , this edition, from Dover Publications is 32 pages and is available in paperback format. 

This is a truly silly and massively entertaining illustrated adventure mostly for the younger readers (~6-10 years), but honestly cute for all ages. After an encounter with something gassy, dad's bum/butt blows clean off his backside and escapes, causing mayhem. The text is written in very simple rhyme and dad's behind has a "fun" day running all over town smelling up the place and scaring the local wildlife.

The art, by Ross Kinnaird is *full* of silliness and whimsy. Aside from the subject matter (dad's blown his butt clean off his body and it's gone rogue), the art is full of fun energy and movement. It's in color throughout and the illustrations are full of small details that invite readers to ponder and look a while (despite the stinky clouds liberally sprinkled around).

Five stars. Whimsical and silly. It would make a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home library, and gift giving with the codicil that there *will* be fart jokes and noises aplenty after reading. For that reason, it might not be the best choice for a bedtime (or classroom) read; on the other hand, it could be a fun choice for precisely the same reasons. Fans of Captain Underpants and Ellie McDoodle will find a lot to like here. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.