This hilarious tale for children ages 4-8 (and adults who aren't afraid to laugh) features surreal illustrations by Audrey Colman and an absurdly comical storyline. Walter the Farting Dog is a timeless story about acceptance, love, and the incredible power of being oneself...farts and all.

The essay was never submitted but was sent as a letter to Richard Price, [1] a Welsh philosopher and Unitarian minister in England with whom Franklin had an ongoing correspondence. The text of the essay's introduction reads in part: In other words, statesman, author, scientist, and inventor Benjamin Franklin wanted scientists to focus on creating a medicine that would make farts smell good.I read this to the kids subsituting the word "tooting" for "farting" - on the direction of their parents. I think we should go ahead and call a fart a fart, but I'm only the aunt, so I go along. Billy and Betty think Walter is the perfect addition for their family. Unfortunately, his stank rump is causing their father to think differently. No matter what he tries, Walter just can’t stop farting. Special food? Farts. Holding them in? Farts. Anti-fart dog biscuits? Well, when you eat the whole bag it results in farts. If Walter doesn’t stop farting, he’s going to have to find a new house : ( Walter the Farting Dog” is a great book for the entire family that will have them rolling around laughing at Walter’s predicament for a long time. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children might try to imitate the potty humor displayed in this book. Copies of the essay were privately printed by Franklin at his printing press in Passy. Franklin distributed the essay to friends, including Joseph Priestley (a chemist famous for his work on gases). After Franklin's death, the essay was long excluded from published collections of Franklin's writing, but it is available online. [2]

Wildly funny and endlessly surprising, this is delightfully imaginative, surreal storytelling with a message that small events can trigger big change, and children can be heroes! About This Edition ISBN: It is universally well known, that in digesting our common food, there is created or produced in the bowels of human creatures, a great quantity of wind," Franklin wrote in an essay variously known as "To the Royal Academy of Farting" or simply " Fart Proudly." "That the permitting this Air to escape and mix with the Atmosphere, is usually offensive to the Company, from the fetid Smell that accompanies it." I could really find little redeeming value here. It's not that I mind a good gassy book - I can laugh and giggle over the tales of toots for ages. But, to me, the story-telling here just felt forced, and there didn't seem to be anything special in the writing. Plus, the illustrations kind of wigged me out.I must say that, unlike most reviewers, I did not find the story of this flatulent canine either endearing or evil. What fascinates me is that it has managed to become such a popular book as I personally found it rather bland and forgettable. The storytelling was not nearly as witty or humorous as it could have been, and the big climax was a bit far-fetched. I also didn't appreciate the message of feeding the dog anything (from cat food to junk food) to make it stop tooting. (Also, I did not like the illustrations one iota. Just not my style at all.) The essay goes on to discuss the way different foods affect the odor of flatulence and to propose scientific testing of farting. Franklin also suggests that scientists work to develop a drug, "wholesome and not disagreeable", which can be mixed with "common Food or Sauces" with the effect of rendering flatulence "not only inoffensive, but agreeable as Perfumes". The essay ends with a pun saying that compared to the practical applications of this discussion, other sciences are "scarcely worth a FART-HING." Have you ever heard a fart that could save the day? In this New York Times bestselling kids book, every toot tells a funny tale!

While there’s certainly no shortage of fart-themed books for children, and no sign that the perennial appeal of parps is waning among contemporary readers, actor and comedian Stephen Mangan’s The Fart that Changed the World is a satisfyingly surreal addition to the canon of flatulence-themed fiction. Of course, the whole essay ( which you can read here) was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Franklin — who was living in Paris at the time — was frustrated by the impracticality of most questions taken up by the scientific establishment, so he wrote this essay in response, but didn't actually send it to the Royal Academy. Instead, he sent copies to a few friends, including British chemist Joseph Priestley and philosopher Richard Price. Walter the Farting Dog” is an extremely unique book created by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray along with illustrations by Audrey Colman. This book is about how an innocent dog-named Walter has some serious gas problems to the chagrin of his new family. “Walter the Farting Dog” will have the entire family rolling around laughing for many years. Franklin's dream is still unrealized: we don't have a medicine that makes farts smell good, though we do have drugs (like Beano) that cut down on gas production. Research has also found that foods which contain hydrogen sulfide — like beans, onions, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and dairy — disproportionately contribute to farts smelling bad. I have perused your late mathematical Prize Question, proposed in lieu of one in Natural Philosophy, for the ensuing year...Permit me then humbly to propose one of that sort for your consideration, and through you, if you approve it, for the serious Enquiry of learned Physicians, Chemists, &c. of this enlightened Age. It is universally well known, that in digesting our common food, there is created or produced in the bowels of human creatures, a great quantity of wind. That the permitting this air to escape and mix with the atmosphere, is usually offensive to the company, from the fetid smell that accompanies it. That all well-bred people therefore, to avoid giving such offence, forcibly restrain the efforts of nature to discharge that wind.Essay written by Benjamin Franklin Franklin punned that compared to his ruminations on flatulence, other scientific investigations were "scarcely worth a FART-HING". Because of the compilation, the quote “fart for freedom, fart for liberty – and fart proudly” is often misattributed to Franklin. Even the Franklin Institute, a museum dedicated to science education in Franklin’s honor, credited the false quote to Franklin in a tweet. Here's the link for anybody with insomnia and a weird personality , who might want to while away 10 minutes on a kids book: A Letter to a Royal Academy" was composed in response to a call for scientific papers from the Royal Academy of Brussels. Franklin believed that the various academic societies in Europe were increasingly pretentious and concerned with the impractical. Revealing his "bawdy, scurrilous side," [1] Franklin responded with an essay suggesting that research and practical reasoning be undertaken into methods of improving the odor of human flatulence. [1]