VERSUS! - Chapter 1 - The Giant and the Poop-Eater

Oct 13, 2026

Juvenile nonfiction text exploring a hypothetical fight between dung beetles and elephants through direct comparison of size, abilities, and survival traits. It explains how elephants’ massive stature still has limits, while dung beetles’ small size and specialized behavior enable surprising hiding strategies. Readers learn key facts about elephant dimensions and weight alongside dung beetle measurements, concluding that outcomes depend on more than scale.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time49 min

AccessFree to download

CHAPTER 1

The Giant and the Poop-Eater

CHAPTER 2

Comparing Their Features

CHAPTER 3

Who Would Win?

CHAPTER 4

Get in on the Hi Jinx

Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2022 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation # VERSUS! Eric Braun BLACK RA8BIT BOOKS Jennifer Besel,editor;Michael Sellner,designer;Grant Gould &Catherine Cates,production designers;Omay Ayres,photo researcher All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced inany form without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNames:Braun,Eric,1971-author. Title:Dung beetie vs.elephant/by Eric Braun.Other titles:Dung beetle versus elephant Description:Mankato,Minnesota:Black Rabbit Books,[2018]Series:Hi jinx.Versus!|Audience:Ages 9-12.|Audience:Grades 4 to 6.Includes bibliographical references and index.Identifiers:LCCN 2017015980(print)|LCCN 2017026209(ebook)SBN 9781680723786(e-book)|ISBN 9781680723489(library binding)ISBN 9781680726541(paperback) Subjects:LCSH:Dung beetles-Juvenile literature.|Elephants-Juvenileliterature.|Animals-Miscellanea-Juvenile literature.Classification:LCC QL596.S3(ebook)|LCC QL596.S3 B732018(print) DDC 590.2-dc23LC record available at https://Iccn.loc.gov/2017015980 Printed in China.9/17 Image Credits Dreamstime:Capeman29,7,14,23(beetle);Donald Purcell,16(elephant);Sergei Kazakov,3(trunk);iStock:akrp,20(trunk);GlobalP,7(elephant);Shutterstock:3Dalia,12(t);advent,10-11(ring);Angeliki Vel,7(sun);blambca,15(axe);Chatchawan,7(bubble);Christos Georghiou,4(paper);cynoclub,9;Den Zorin,6(insect);denisik11,Cover(elephant);Don Mammoser,3(eye);Dreamcreation,14-15(logs);Dualororua,7(trees);frescomovie,Back Cover,Cover(bkgd);Ilya Chalyuk,5,6,18,20(marker);Joe Mercier,20(tusks);IOvE IOvE,8(bkgd);Memo Angeles,11(elephant);opicobello,15(marker);owatta,18-19(ring);Pasko Maksim,Back Cover,17,18,23(paper tear);Peter Fodor,12(b),19(ball);Pitju,21(paper);Pumidol,1(r);Rashad Ashurov,21(bkgd);ridjam,Cover,12,19(beetle);Rohit Dhanaji Shinde,4--5,18-19(elephant);Salinee Janmuang,16(beetles);Sarawut Padungkwan,8(insect);Susan Schmitz,1(1);Tony Oshlick,Cover,5(ball);totallypic,17,20(arrows);Tueris,Cover,5(marker);Yayayoyo,8(binoculars);zooco,10(elephant),15(elephant),21(beetle) CHAPTER 1 The Giant and thePoop-Eater.,5CHAPTER 2 Comparing TheirFeatures..6CHAPTER 3 Who Would Win?.....18CHAPTER 4 Get in on the Hi Jinx..20Other Resources..22 ◎ ◎ 4 Dung beetles and elephants aren't much alike.One is a tiny bug that eats poop.The other is a giant mammal that doesn't eat poop.But each animal has some amazing abilities. What if we put these two in a fight?As you will see,size isn't everything. Elephants are not good at hide-and-go-seek.Where could an animal thatsize hide?African savanna elephantsare the largest type.They can be 16 feet(5 meters)long.They weigh as muchas 20,000 pounds (9,072 kilograms). That's about as heavy as five minivans. The biggest dung beetles are a little longer than 1 inch(3 centimeters) They could hide between an elephant's toes.

FAQs

What is the central comparison in this book?

The book compares dung beetles and elephants by setting them up in a hypothetical fight and examining how their abilities differ.

Why does the text say size isn’t everything?

It argues that despite elephants being vastly larger, each animal has amazing abilities that can matter more than scale.

What does Chapter 1 focus on?

Chapter 1 introduces the giant elephant and the poop-eater dung beetle and explains how their traits contrast.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Olivia Brown