Description

What is Who Pooped in the Black Hills?

Who Pooped in the Black Hills? is a 48-page illustrated book that teaches kids to identify ten Black Hills animals by the scat and tracks they leave behind. Written by Gary D. Robson with full-color illustrations by Robert Rath, it follows siblings Michael and Emily and their family as they hike the region and piece together what has been there before them: a pile of prairie dog droppings near a burrow, a mountain lion print in wet sand, bison patties in a grassland meadow. The premise is goofy on purpose (kids love the word “poop”), and the content underneath it is real field science.

The book is part of Farcountry Press’s Scats and Tracks for Kids series, which has individual titles for Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Redwoods, and other regions. The Black Hills edition focuses on the species a family is most likely to encounter in and around Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, the Black Hills National Forest, and nearby public lands.

What is inside

Each of the ten featured animals gets its own spread with a short narrative passage, a “Straight Poop” sidebar of trivia, and illustrations of the animal, its scat, and its tracks. A reference chart at the back collects all ten animals side by side so kids can flip to it on the trail.

• Coyote
• Mountain lion
• Eastern cottontail rabbit
• Porcupine
• Prairie dog
• Mule deer
• Pronghorn
• Burro (feral, from the Custer State Park herd)
• Bison
• Wild turkey

Specifications

• Pages: 48
• Dimensions: 9 1/8″ x 8 1/8″
• Weight: 7.1 oz
• Binding: Paperback (trade softcover)
• Cover and interior: Full-color throughout
• Age range: 7 to 10 (grades 2 to 5)
• Author: Gary D. Robson
• Illustrator: Robert Rath
• ISBN: 978-1-56037-387-2
• Publisher: Farcountry Press
• Series: Scats and Tracks for Kids

Who is this for?

Families heading to the Black Hills with grade-school kids. This is the book to read in the car on the way to Wind Cave, or on the porch of a cabin the night before a Jewel Cave tour. By the time they get to the trail, the kids are already looking for prairie dog droppings and bison patties, and they have a reason to slow down and notice what is around them. Pair it with a pocket field guide for parents and you have a full family set.

Classroom teachers and homeschoolers. The grade 2 to 5 reading level fits upper-elementary natural-science units. Teachers in South Dakota and Wyoming have used the Who Pooped titles for ecosystem, food-web, and regional-wildlife lessons for years. The scat-and-tracks framing is a good hook because it ties abstract “ecology” to something concrete kids can look for themselves.

Grandparents and gift buyers. At $14.95 for a 48-page full-color book, this is a go-to souvenir for grandkids after a Black Hills trip. If you are buying for a family with mixed ages, pair it with a plush bison or a kids’ Junior Ranger-style activity book to cover a wider age range.

Frequently asked questions

What age is this book for?
Farcountry markets it for ages 7 to 10, grades 2 to 5. That is the independent-reader sweet spot. Younger kids (4 to 6) love the illustrations and the animals, and parents usually read those pages aloud. Older readers and adults still pick up new trivia from the “Straight Poop” sidebars.

Is this the same Who Pooped book as the Yellowstone or Grand Canyon one?
No. Each title in the Scats and Tracks for Kids series covers the animals of a specific region. The Black Hills edition features the ten species most likely to turn up on a Black Hills trip, and the narrative is set in this area. The Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, and other titles each have their own featured species and settings.

Who wrote and illustrated it?
Gary D. Robson wrote the text. He has authored most of the Who Pooped series and several other Farcountry natural-history titles for kids. Robert Rath did the full-color illustrations throughout. Rath has illustrated multiple Farcountry children’s titles in the same visual style, which is how the series hangs together across regions.

How many animals are covered?
Ten: bison, mountain lion, coyote, porcupine, prairie dog, mule deer, pronghorn, eastern cottontail rabbit, wild turkey, and burro. Each gets its own spread, and the back of the book has a quick-reference chart with all ten side by side.

Is there a reason burros are in a Black Hills wildlife book?
Yes. The book features the feral burro population associated with Custer State Park, which is a well-known Black Hills sight for visiting families. The burros are not native, but they are part of the Black Hills experience for anyone who drives the Wildlife Loop Road, so the book includes them.

Is it paperback or hardcover?
Paperback (trade softcover), full-color throughout, 48 pages. It is thin enough to pack in a day bag but sturdy enough to hold up to being read on a picnic blanket or a visitor center bench.

Does buying this support national parks?
Yes. BHPFA is the official nonprofit partner of Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument, and Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, as well as the Black Hills National Forest and Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands. Proceeds from every purchase support education programs, conservation projects, and visitor services at these sites.

Can I get this at a BHPFA park visitor center?
Usually, yes. We stock the Who Pooped in the Black Hills title at several of our partner-site stores including Wind Cave and Jewel Cave. Call ahead if you want to check a specific store’s current inventory. We also ship it nationally from this online store.

Are there other Who Pooped titles I should pair with this one?
If you are road-tripping the region, the Yellowstone and Grand Teton editions cover the next most common western family trip out of the Black Hills. For a Badlands or Custer State Park add-on, this Black Hills edition already covers most of the species you will see. Farcountry also publishes Who Pooped in the West? for a broader regional sweep.