Poo You and The Potoroo's Loo; Brainbox

The idea behind Portland Press's 'Making Sense of Science' series is to get a prominent scientist to write a small, friendly book about their own specialty. It is a great series concept and has spawned a series of original, fascinating titles in which the author's passion for their subject - and knowledge of what is important - pays real dividends. Rose and Lichtenfels' Brainbox is about the brain and how it works, while Bellamy's Poo ... is about faces - both unusual and exciting topics for books at this level. Series editor Fran Balkwill has coaxed some clear, punchy text from both sets of authors - and David Bellamy makes the most of the scatological humour of his topic. You learn a great deal quickly and painlessly. And yet there is something just a little disappointing about both books. Text and pictures do not work well together and the artworks, while charming in some places, are rather 'arty' and dull. Bellamy's Poo rides over this with its infectious humour and fascinating insights into ecological connections, but Brainbox can sometimes seem just a little too worthy.