A continuously clever concept that allows kids to alleviate their fears even as they relieve their bladders.
A book that’s unafraid to put the fun in flushing.
Anyone familiar with the physical logistics on display in How to Pee: Potty Training for Boys (2015) may be inclined to scratch their heads at a feminine sequel. Yet while the plumbing may vary, the idea of making potty time a creative endeavor is gender-inclusive. As with its predecessor, “Dr. Todd” opens the book with an explanation about why he turned potty time into a game with his kids. What follows is a series of different methods, easily adoptable by girls everywhere. There’s “Little Star Style,” which involves contemplating the wonders of the universe from a backyard potty; “Royal Ball Style,” complete with toilet paper; and “Dance-Party Style” (glow sticks optional). Those adults under the impression that peeing outside is strictly boy territory will be edified by the little protagonist’s attempts to “water the flowers” (as it were) as part of the “Fresh-Air Style.” With a list of tips at the end, the book is as much a training manual for anxious parents as it is a series of role-playing ideas for kids. Once again, Chung is called upon to give this pint-sized urinator a certain level of joie de pisser. This he does with aplomb, depicting a biracial child with an Asian-American mom and white dad.
A continuously clever concept that allows kids to alleviate their fears even as they relieve their bladders. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62779-297-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Not a standout, but it’s potentially useful for allaying the anxieties of wee ones ready to make what can be a scary leap...
A primer for little boys transitioning from their own potties to the toilet.
Jack is a cute, bespectacled tot wearing a large pirate hat featuring a skull and crossbones. He is busy playing with his teddy bear (which sports a bandanna and eye patch) when Daddy announces that it’s time to potty. But Jack has decided that he’s ready to give up the little potty and use the toilet like his father. Capt. Jack climbs aboard “his ship,” pees into the bowl, sits down and “does a poo,” flushes the toilet and then washes his hands. Proud Jack “takes a bow” while “Daddy claps and cheers,” proclaiming Jack “Captain of the Toilet!” Jack makes it look really easy, which may intimidate little ones, but they will probably be too busy repeatedly generating flushing sounds by pushing the book’s big blue button to notice. A companion title, Queen of the Toilet (978-0-7641-6659-4), stars a little girl. It follows the pattern of Jack’s story, except no child’s potty is pictured or mentioned. Bella seems to go directly from diapers to toilet, though the back cover indicates that this title, too, is intended for those transitioning from a child’s potty.
Not a standout, but it’s potentially useful for allaying the anxieties of wee ones ready to make what can be a scary leap from child’s potty to toilet. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7641-6658-7
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Barron's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
A positive approach to a difficult subject.
The latest addition to the Best Behaviors series encourages little ones to “Pick a tissue, not your nose.”
The opening spreads inform readers that noses are for breathing and sniffing but not for picking. The rhyming text, with a couple of clever lines, describes using a tissue, throwing the tissue away and washing hands to “Tell those germs good-bye.” Heinlen’s art, which is a step above other titles of this instructive, didactic ilk, uses a diverse cast of cartoon kids and grown-ups to model appropriate behaviors, rendering them with a bold black line and warm colors. The last two pages offer extensive tips for parents and caregivers on ways to gently discourage nose-picking through modeling, respect, redirection and persistence.
A positive approach to a difficult subject. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-57542-471-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
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