Empowering and entertaining for those learning to “go.”
A toddler is determined to ace the potty-training experience.
The diaper-wearing tot, who could be a girl or a boy, really wants underwear, just like the colorful pairs their older sibling wears. Daddy (who appears to be a single dad) obliges, and they go underwear shopping. Once the tyke has the brand-new undies on, the whole family, all with medium brown skin and straight black hair, rallies to the toilet-training cause. The youngster progresses through the other milestones of mastering the toileting routine: learning about wiping, teaching a toy how to have a tinkle, transitioning from diapers to the potty chair, having an accident, and trying again. After some abortive attempts, the toddler finally pees in the potty, and the family celebrates. While there is, unfortunately, no mention of hand-washing, the book affords a joyous and playful potty-training exploration. Seeboruth uses just enough words to get the point across, and the holophrases and telegraphic sentences emulate toddler-speak—a rarity in a book category that is often burdened with too much text. Corrin’s textured digital illustrations depict friendly, familial scenes in lively colors and have a chalk-art feel that contributes to the sense of the story being told through the eyes of a child.
Empowering and entertaining for those learning to “go.” (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64686-357-0
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Spritely entertainment and gentle encouragement for toddlers.
A pig, cow and sheep attempt to toilet train a brood of boisterous chicks.
In lighthearted dialogue rendered in verse, the three Chickies tell each of their caregivers that they know what the potty is for and can use it independently. This assertion proves to be false, as the chicks splash in the water, play with the toilet paper and jump on the towels. With loving patience, their barnyard companions gently correct this behavior. After three wrong turns, the trio finally “tinkle” in the potty appropriately and enjoy some delighted praise. In the companion volume, Bedtime for Chickies, the threesome have a difficult time getting to sleep. They ask the cow for water, the pig for a trip to the potty and the sheep for a bedtime story. Their keepers are not quite as patient here and in fact fall asleep on the job. The chicks finally nod off, each one cradled in the arms of one of their caretakers. Trasler employs a shaky line to create bold, droll cartoons on flecked and muted backgrounds. The chicks are pleasing in their simplicity: round yellow circles with dots for eyes and sideways V’s for beaks.
Spritely entertainment and gentle encouragement for toddlers. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-06-227469-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HarperFestival
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
Clarity and humor carry the day.
A piglet toddler learns to walk.
After growing bored, Baby Pig Pig learns to pull himself up, climb out of his playpen and walk out of the living room into the kitchen, all in the course of a day. Simple declarative sentences narrate the adventure. “He stood up and tried to walk. / He fell down. // Baby Pig Pig tried again. / This time he did it!” In companion title Baby Pig Pig Talks, the piglet struggles to say his first word. While walking with his mama, stroller-bound Baby Pig Pig tries to repeat words his mother utters as she points things out to him, to funny effect. She says, “Cat,” and he says, “Duba.” In both titles, when Baby Pig Pig finally reaches his milestone (taking his first steps, saying “Mama”), he receives a loving hug from his mom. An older Pig Pig previously starred in several picture books by McPhail, and here, he employs the same droll pen, ink and watercolor cartoons in muted tones. While the porcine tot progresses through developmental stages much too quickly and parents may wonder about his mother’s parenting skills (she leaves him on his own for extended periods and introduces him to a hissing snake), McPhail understands the simplicity required for a story for the youngest toddlers.
Clarity and humor carry the day. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-58089-596-5
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
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