Review by Booklist Review
PreS. This good-natured book, by the author of Don't Let the Pigeons Drive the Bus BKL S 1 03, uses just the right tack for kids who theoretically understand toilet use , but still have misgivings about it in practice. Potty trainees will delight in reviewing bathroom procedures alongside a cast of worried-looking boys and girls and a pep squad of encouraging mice. Willems again demonstrates a genius for spare but expressive lines and an almost uncanny rapport with the preschool audience. The plainspoken text, which appears in placards raised cheerleader-style by the mice, offers pithy instructions (Boys can stand. Girls should sit ) and assurances (It won't take long ) that get right at the heart of kids' concerns. There's no real story, and true to its title, the book deals only with one bodily function. But, never mind; it will still go a long way toward easing the anxiety surrounding this developmental hurdle. Each copy comes with a chart on the flip side of the book jacket and reward stickers for home use, but don't let that stop you from putting it on the library shelf. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2003 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Not surprisingly, the author of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus infuses this potty training manual with saucy wit. Nonetheless, empathy underscores every laugh. From the beginning, Willems addresses the child's perspective: "If you ever get that funny feeling... don't panic! Don't fret! And please don't ignore it! Now is your chance to show how big you are!" He goes over the protocol-lift the lid, do your business, wash your hands-and ends with a reassuring, right-on-target observation. When you are through, "Everything will still be right where it was." Acknowledging an inveterate source of accidents-kids' intense desire to keep playing-Willems draws a relieved toddler bounding toward a tea party where her stuffed animals await her return. As in his debut, Willems pens rib-tickling, expressive cartoon characters on a white background, coloring in his images with an understated palette in ochre tones. A host of inviting mice narrate the text, which drapes across signs, balloons, banners and unfurling rolls of toilet paper. Antics such as rolling out a red carpet and the mice posing as an airport ground crew-who helpfully direct a youngster toward the bathroom with lighted, orange batons-provide gentle comic relief for a topic often fraught with anxiety. Ages 2-4. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Good toilet training books seem as scarce as a clean public restroom in Times Square, and, unfortunately, this book won't alleviate the problem. A parade of needy children is joined by a group of wise mice that guides the youngsters to the bathroom and back. Encouraging phrases will assist reluctant children: "Don't Panic! Don't Fret! And please don't ignore it! Now is your chance to show how BIG you are!" Reminders to use toilet paper, flush, and wash hands are included. A final message reassures, "Don't worry if you don't get it right the first time-you'll get another chance." The book's benefits are overshadowed by the busy and possibly confusing illustrations. Large, bold type is set word by word into flags, banners, and signs held by the small creatures. When one child arrives in the bathroom, the toilet lid is covered with a well-meaning but unfortunately placed mouse band. While libraries will be able to work around the chart on the inside of the dustjacket and the page of (unattached) stickers that will allow children to record their successes, these features make the book most useful for home libraries.-Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT (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
(Preschool) For kids who see every trip to the potty as an Event, this book's parade of enthusiastic, sign-wielding mice cheering them into the bathroom will be welcome indeed. More pep rally than how-to, the book is perfectly attuned to preschoolers' sensibilities and funny bones. The straightforward text (""Go for it, dude""; ""1, 2, 3, PEE!"") appears a word or two at a time on balloons, flags, open parachutes, banners, placards, kites, a wrecking ball, and, of course, toilet paper. Willems (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, rev. 7/03) reinforces the familiar sequence: ""Excuse yourself""; ""Pull down your underwear""; ""Boys can stand / Girls should sit""; ""Flush!""; ""Wash your hands."" Most of the sideline action is conveyed in the energetic, cartoonlike illustrations, which manage to be uncluttered despite the rowdy gang of mice, coaching and encouraging each step of the way. Every page offers plenty of details to pore over (think bathroom reading for the toilet-training set), including mice flying overhead with jet packs, in helicopters, and in airplanes; being shot out of a cannon; and controlling air traffic. An ensemble cast of little kids star in this bathroom success story, each child looking confident, unsure, relieved, or proud, as the situation warrants. (The included stickers--""great work!"" ""nice aim!"" ""oops!""--and weeklong success chart attached to the book jacket are a handy gimmick, though not much use for libraries.) Kids reluctant to take a potty break from playtime are reassured that ""everything will still be right where it was"" when they return from the bathroom. The point might get lost in all the hoopla, but luckily it's one that will bear repeating in the inevitable encore readings. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
That most basic of functions, subject of countless earnest tomes, at last receives a treatment whose instructional value is equaled by its entertainment value. "If you ever get that funny feeling . . . " reads a series of signs borne by a host of cheerful, cartoony mice as they fly, drive, march, and (in at least one instance) get shot from a cannon past a bevy of dubious-looking multicultural children: "don't PANIC! Don't FRET!" The simple text is direct, not without humor ("And please don't ignore it!"), and wonderfully child-wise, providing the critical reassurance that "everything will still be right where it was." The multitudinous mice in their kite-flying, instrument-playing, sky-diving, helicopter-driving variety constitute a visual feast that enlivens the simple text and will keep the inevitable re-readings from becoming snooze-inducing. The uncluttered layout allows the children to take center stage while the legions of mice, with their text-bearing signs, happily perform their supporting roles. Those kids move from doubt to magnificent relief to pride in a happily encouraging progression, making this offering number one in the potty department. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
