Poop or Get Off the Potty!

December 15, 2018
A potty-training book with potty humor aplenty.Mason and Mia are ready to potty train. But the story starts before they reach toddlerhood, when a woman holds baby Mason aloft and at arm's length while a man with a purplish-gray beard holds baby Mia out in front of himself. "When Mason and Mia were babies, they pooped a lot," reads the explanatory accompanying text. It seems they're fraternal twins in a multiracial family (mom presents black and dad presents white), although different-colored backgrounds in the digitally produced cartoon art could make some readers think they're unrelated and are in different settings. But such understanding isn't the point--potty humor is. Wherever these babies are, and whoever they are to each other, their "small...big...messy...tidy...easy...tough...smelly...and cute poops" are referenced with parents' attending, funny reactions. Then toddler Mason stands before a green background on the verso and toddler Mia in a yellow space on the recto, each beside a potty labeled with their name. They joke about what the potties are for until they simultaneously realize, "A poop is coming!" Seated on their respective thrones (which have, for some reason, switched pages) they successfully encourage each other to follow the titular injunction. Distracting design aside, the book's wholehearted embrace of its subject should make it welcome in many a toddler's household. (Picture book. 1-3)

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July 26, 2019

Toddler-PreS-McNamara offers a chipper tale of biracial siblings mastering advanced-level toilet training: pooping in a potty. Mia and Mason make jokes about their potties, sing about them, and generally display the utmost comfort with and enthusiasm for their new toilet regime. The upbeat chronology of the steps involved is not notably inventive or artful, but the children's unbridled excitement proves to be this book's most valuable asset. Brightly colored digital illustrations pair strong geometric lines with simple, expressive faces (though it's not clear why two kids in the same room always appear against different backgrounds). Every aspect of this book contributes to an insistently positive spin on an activity that some kids and caregivers find stressful or challenging. The exuberance unfortunately extends to the jokey title; while cute, it may be counterproductive, as sometimes you just need to wait for a physiological function to unfold in its own time. Side note: The illustrations depict hand washing, but the text omits this crucial step. VERDICT A cheery choice for those seeking a story of potty time success.-Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY

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