Funny Books to Help Ease the Anxieties of Potty Training
Potty training can be a difficult process for everyone. Children struggle with the idea, and some are even afraid to go to bathroom on the potty. Read some fun potty training books to help your charges understand that the porcelain throne isn’t as scary as it may sometimes seem.
I Can’t, I Won’t, No Way!
Tracey J. Vessillo Illustrated by Mike Motz
MikeMotz.com October 31, 2011 $9.99
Tracey Vessillo is a breakout author with her e-book tale I Can’t, I Won’t, No Way! The story focuses on children who refuse to poop on the potty. Vessillo does well by drawing children into the story. She makes it relevant by showing how children are afraid to poop and why. The story weaves humor throughout, especially when Vessillo states, “don’t put me on that potty, I’d rather go to jail.” The illustrations are active and almost like watching a movie. By the end, children will understand how scary going on the potty can be, but also how it might not so bad after all. I Can’t, I Won’t, No Way sheds humor on this otherwise stressful subject.
Recommendation: Own It
Once Upon a Potty
Alona Frankel
Baron Educational Series Inc. 1979 $7.95
Alona Frankel is a Polish-born Israeli writer and illustrator of many classic children's books. She wrote Once Upon a Potty in 1979 to help her son with potty training. The story begins by introducing all of Joshua’s body parts, including the ones he uses to go wee-wee and poo-poo. The book explains the various stages of going potty, from birth to when Joshua gets a potty as a gift from his grandmother. This is a great story to help children understand that going on the toilet takes practice and patience. It teaches how children transition from going potty in a diaper to going on the toilet. The original version of Once Upon a Potty features a boy, but the book has since been adapted into versions for girls, sound books, and different languages.
Recommendation: Borrow It
Poop! There it is!
Xavier Finkley Illustrated by Nayan Soni
eBook July 25, 2012 $2.99
Xavier Finkley is a bestselling children’s author of A is for Ketchup and Emily Owl’s Cupcake Surprise. He hits it out of the park with his latest e-book story, Poop! There It Is!It is a comical tale about going on the potty that will intrigue babies and toddlers. There are many rhymes that will have kids giggling about the not-always-so funny idea of going potty. In an attempt to get the main character to go on the potty instead of in his diaper, Finkley writes, “my dad called a poop intervention, the family said they had something to mention.” The illustrations make reading easy and fun. This book is sure to show children the excitement in potty training.
Recommendation: Own It
Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.