More Dung!: A Beetle Tale

by Frank Weber

For fans of Jon Klassen and Peter Brown comes MORE DUNG!, a slyly funny and stunningly illustrated picture book about a greedy dung beetle by debut author-illustrator Frank Weber.

The dung beetle thinks he has everything he the warmth of the sun, a gurgling river, and as much dung as he could ever want. But when a leopard tells him of a farm with even MORE dung, the beetle’s world suddenly looks small. And so he sets off to the farm, accruing more and more dung, building a veritable DUNG EMPIRE! But a tower of dung comes with a tower of risk, and soon our insect hero finds himself buried in his greed. (Yes, he’s buried in poop.)

Frank Weber seamlessly blends philosophical questions about greed with scatological humor and truly gorgeous artwork to create this special debut.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Storytime, Nonfiction, Juvenile

48 pages, Hardcover

Published May 14, 2024

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hilarious!

Having to explain to my daughter what dung beetles ate was priceless. There is quite a bit of humor to this one but I also feel like it gave great lessons about greed and learning to be thankful for what we have. We had a lot of fun with this one and I’m glad we took the chance to read it.

[Jamie Johnson Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disgustingly wonderful 😉

[madeline ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book legitimately made me laugh out loud.

#seizethemeansofproduction

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

This might be too much poop.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid funny story about a greedy dung beetle that could have its themes of the risks of avarice drawn out through discussion.

Themes: Poop, Greed
Age range: Toddler-Early Elementary

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

The inside front cover says there are stunning illustrations and sly humor, it did not lie. We really did explore themes of greed and contentment.

[Jessica Calaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading age
3 - 5 years

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dung beetle going about his normal routine bumps into a leopard who shares a secret with him. While food is around where he currently resides, there's a farm that has more dung than the beetle can eat in a lifetime. Even though he's happy where he's at, the beetle is intrigued by the leopard's words and decides it doesn't hurt to check things out. When he arrives at the farm, it's as if he's walked into paradise. There is dung everywhere, but the beetle wants to keep it all for himself. He puts others to work but doesn't want to share. In the end, he learns a valuable lesson about greed and greener pastures.

MORE DUNG!: A BEETLE TALE is a silly story that teaches children it isn't always greener on the other side. With beetles and poop as the main subject matter, this story makes for a perfect picture book because it will appeal to a child's sense of humor. The illustrations are just as fun as the text and I love the lesson hidden in the plot. Greed doesn't get you far in life and can cause more problems in the end. Our beetle learns that the hard way. In the back of the book, children can also find some more facts about dung beetles to expand their knowledge.


Final Verdict: I would recommend this picture book to children aged four and up who enjoy bugs, humor, and adventure. The lyrical writing reads almost like a folktale, making it an easy read.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dung beetle learns a valuable lesson about greed.

I thought this was going to be a funny STEM story, but while you can use this as a jumping off point for research (why does the dung beetle roll the ball of dung? how?) it's really more of a story with a moral. Having more dung doesn't make the beetle happy; having too much only means that there is more for the beetle to lose. And although Beetle is infinitely greedy, watching his worker beetles closely to make sure that they don't steal from him, he is also somehow very lucky--because those same worker beetles unselfishly help him when he desperately needs it.

Entertaining, but I wanted a bit more from the ending and a little more back matter to help young readers understand the dung beetle better.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dung beetle, enjoying his daily routine, is told by a leopard that he is working too hard for so little. The leopard tells the dung beetle that nearby is a cow farm where he can find all the dung his little heart desires. When the dung beetle arrives at the farm, it is awed at the amount of dung available. He quickly amasses an army of worker beetles to collect all the dung for him. But his greed leads to disaster and he loses everything. Dung Beetle returns to his original spot and resumes his routine.

A great story illustrating the results of greed. Recommended for storytime.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can get past the poop -- and there's a good amount -- this picture book is humorous and wise, almost like a modern fable of a greedy dung beetle who hoards poop. When disaster strikes, he loses his fortune but gains a lesson in appreciating the bounty he does have. The illustrations are really lovely, if full of poop, and the text has a sort of grandness that is hilarious for a book about poop.
This book will be unbelievably popular story time, it's funny with easy to read text and really, so much poop.

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a book promises that even dung beetles struggle with greed and the need for more, more, more (dung, that is!), you absolutely have to open the book to see where that story is going to lead and what a funny adventure it was, with a surprising wrap-up.

Poop is a fun topic for all ages, and this one is going to be popular!

Book Connections:
*Who Flung Dung (Ben Redlich)
*Poo Pile on the Prairie (Amy Hevron)
*What Do They Do With All That Poo (Jane Kurtz)
*Don’t Waste the Poop (Marilyn Singer)

[Jared White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cautionary tale related to greed as learned by a dung beetle hoarding too much dung. This was alright, but if you just happen to be looking for an even better book about dung beetles and poop, I highly recommend I Eat Poop.: A Dung Beetle Story which is a great book about self-acceptance.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who used to watch Dung Beetles roll dung on my grandfather's farm in Texas, I was curious how the author would spin this story. It is a grossly sweet tale of a beetle who wants more and realizes it's not all it's cracked up to be! LOL! I would...and am thinking about...sending this to my grandchildren! Cute book. Made my co-workers daughter gag and making choking sounds as she read the story to her! But Katy liked the book too!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut picture book for the author is a winner. The illustrations were interesting and might lead to good questions. The story was a bit complex for a small child but would work for above 5 years. The reader might have to explain dung, but for some just leaving it at what the beetle eats or needs in order to live. I loved the deeper meaning of the story: when is enough, enough? Contentment always trumps greed. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention I laughed out loud! Much humor.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valuable lesson on when enough is just right. This dung beetle is happy with its life. It gathers the dung it needs and rolls the ball home. Then a leopard tells of a place with more dung than anyone can imagine. The beetle sets off to find this place and creates a massive dung pile. Readers see how this changes him - he becomes greedy and distrustful. When a crisis happens, he realizes how much happier he was and returns home. The illustrations are realistic and show a beetle's life clearly.

[Theo Scully · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am so tired of reading picture books centered around poop - this was a novelty publishing trend and now it is oversaturated. HOWEVER, **spoiler** the twist where the dung beetle institutes capitalism in the farm got me and I grew to love the dark humor behind it. Is this a pick for kids? I am not too sure, but if I have to push a poop book this year, i think i am going to push this one.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dung beetle leaves his beloved forest in search of more dung, but finds out being the king of the biggest pile o' poo, ain't all it's cracked up to be. A sweet, though smelly story with delightful illustrations by the author.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

a clever fable that is an absolute joy. It's about gratitude. About having enough. About what happens when too much leads to too much. It's beautifully illustrated, humorously..and it involves poop. A winner.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lesson of gratitude and contentment taught through the perspective of a dug beetle. Thoughtful question posed to young children. Beautifully illustrated text! Mixture of fiction and non-fiction with scientific facts about dung battles included.

[Kelly]

Who knew you could make a book about dung and dung beetles? Poo knew! Anyway, this is about more than dung, though it does teach a bit about that, but I like that it's a "the grass isn't always greener" book, and sometimes what you have is actually really good.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up because I think it would appeal to the potty humor crowd and bring up quality of life questions or more isn't always better.

A contented beetle is told about a farm where he could have more dung than he could dream of.

[Stefanie Foard · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I watched the author read this title on a webinar! :)

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So great! Would be fun as an older read aloud for a classroom. Talks about being grateful for what you have and not being greedy. Super fun illustration that were cute and gross at the same time.

[AnneLibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover is catchy - I think kids will be attracted to it. But just too much poop for this grown-up.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good story that involves poop and humor but this book turned my stomach quite a bit. It taught a great lesson about greed but it was a bit too much dung for me.

[Steph]

Turn/Level: 1/3

Poop, Dung Beetles, Limits to Greed

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you make a story about poop & dung beetles into a metaphor for capitalism?
Frank Weber can.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all adults are going to be jazzed over a picture book about dung. But this was a fun book.