HOW TO PEE YOUR PANTS

A cartoonish bespectacled owl-like creature provides advice both serious and tongue-in-cheek for coping with a bladder accident at school.

“It can happen when you are sleeping. It can happen when you are in class. It can happen when you are sleeping in class.” These clever sentences show up, respectively, under three comical framed images featuring the protagonist along with other funny, anthropomorphic creatures. Next, Wilson lists reasons people might delay a trip to the bathroom and notes that they may have unsuccessfully tried “scientifically proven methods” to hold it in, including sitting very still and “the grab-and-hold.” A double-page spread with a urine-colored background shows a stain spreading over the cringing owl’s plaid trousers: “You peed your pants.” After Wilson reassures readers that “we’ve all been there,” the tips begin: “Create a distraction,” “hide the evidence,” and “find new clothes.” Hilarious, largely monochromatic artwork accompanies each suggestion—including the owl trying to wear, among other things, an inverted lampshade. Wilson’s witty, kindly tone will resonate with readers of preschool age and beyond. An image of the humiliated owl, forced by less-than-sympathetic adults to sit on a bubble-wrapped chair while awaiting clean clothes, is paired with a great zinger aimed at said grown-ups. The ending is equally strong—and surprisingly sweet. While other books use humor to downplay the mortification of peeing one’s pants, this one stands out by embracing the embarrassment and using that momentum to remove the stigma.

A number-one hit!