Review by Booklist Review
Ages 1^-3. This book is very reassuring, leaving the impression that little Michael or Ashley (or any child) will be able to succeed at potty training. Cole's matter-of-fact text points out that practice makes perfect, while Chambliss' watercolor illustrations show smiles all around--on Mommy and Daddy's faces, on the kids' faces, and even on the stuffed animals' faces. There is no yelling, no scariness, and no one gets in trouble for having an accident. Michael, with his stuffed bear, and Ashley, with her stuffed bunny, easily transition from diapers to big-kid pants, and their satisfaction at accomplishing this feat is very apparent. The text is the same in both volumes except for one added line in the boys' book: "Daddy showed Michael how to stand up when he made pee-pee." The last page includes "Tips for Successful Potty Teaching," which is directed at parents. --Kathy Broderick
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-This set of gender-specific potty-training books is a cut above the rest in an already crowded field. Like Alyssa Satin Capucilli's The Potty Book for Boys and The Potty Book for Girls (both Barron's, 2000), their texts are identical, except for the gender references. "Michael is a boy just your age." "Ashley is a girl just your age." However, the direct, engaging language and questions aimed at young listeners make these titles far superior to Capucilli's singsong offerings. In both of Cole's titles, the parents buy a potty, encourage their child to use it, and eventually success is achieved. While the watercolor illustrations are not identical in the two books, they are very similar and add a cheerful, perky touch, portraying a boy/girl well into the toddler stage, surrounded by loving, smiling parents (no stress here). Cole's Your New Potty (Morrow, 1989) traces the progress of both a girl and boy, with alternating looks at each child, using photographs that, like Fred Rogers's Going to the Potty (PaperStar, 1997), give young listeners a look at other "real" children learning this momentous skill. Both Cole's older book and the newer pair include useful, clearly stated tips for parents.-Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In each of these toilet training books, a child quickly and successfully learns to use his or her potty with a minimum of fuss. The art and texts are cheerful and encouraging, though the stories are predictable and rather unrealistic in their presentation of the process (few parents will be able to designate "a few hours" a day to potty time as the note to parents suggests). From HORN BOOK Spring 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
