THIS COWGIRL AIN'T KIDDIN' ABOUT THE POTTY
by Sarah Glenn Fortson ; illustrated by Russ Cox
No two ways about it, this town ain’t big enough for a two-quart diaper.
Readers seeking a tot with poor self-esteem shouldn’t look at cowgirl A.K. She is comfortable with who she is and will adroitly circumnavigate anyone’s insistence that she wear underwear instead of her trusty Bronco Buster diapers. Her reasons? “I’ve got fences to varnish, horses to harness, and spurs that tarnish. Ain’t kiddin’. I got no time for the potty.” Then comes the day when her class will be seeing Wild Wilma Wilkee, “the most famous cowgirl of all.” A.K. goes, diaper in place under her jeans, and to her amazement she discovers that her hero wears underwear! Now those diapers are history. Considering that A.K. is sauntering around what appears to be an elementary school in diapers, her story may be heartening for those older kids still struggling to move beyond their diaper days. It is worth noting that while the adults in her life do urge her to put diapers into her past, at no point is she shamed for her choices (though who changes those diapers goes unexamined). Peppy art adds a touch of humor, whether in the form of a saddled and bridled pet cat or the horseshoe-patterned undies our heroine eventually adopts. A.K. and Wilma both present white while her teacher has brown skin.
Yippee-ki-yi-yay, git along little diapers! (Picture book. 3-5)