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HOW TO PEE by Todd Spector

HOW TO PEE

Potty Training for Girls

by Todd Spector ; illustrated by Arree Chung

Pub Date: April 5th, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62779-297-4
Publisher: Henry Holt

A book that’s unafraid to put the fun in flushing.

Anyone familiar with the physical logistics on display in How to Pee: Potty Training for Boys (2015) may be inclined to scratch their heads at a feminine sequel. Yet while the plumbing may vary, the idea of making potty time a creative endeavor is gender-inclusive. As with its predecessor, “Dr. Todd” opens the book with an explanation about why he turned potty time into a game with his kids. What follows is a series of different methods, easily adoptable by girls everywhere. There’s “Little Star Style,” which involves contemplating the wonders of the universe from a backyard potty; “Royal Ball Style,” complete with toilet paper; and “Dance-Party Style” (glow sticks optional). Those adults under the impression that peeing outside is strictly boy territory will be edified by the little protagonist’s attempts to “water the flowers” (as it were) as part of the “Fresh-Air Style.” With a list of tips at the end, the book is as much a training manual for anxious parents as it is a series of role-playing ideas for kids. Once again, Chung is called upon to give this pint-sized urinator a certain level of joie de pisser. This he does with aplomb, depicting a biracial child with an Asian-American mom and white dad.

A continuously clever concept that allows kids to alleviate their fears even as they relieve their bladders.

(Picture book. 2-4)