My Big Girl Potty [Hardcover]

Joanna Cole (Author), Maxie Chambliss (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: P and up

"What a big girl you are!"

Potty training can be fun. With warmth and sensitivity, Joanna Cole and Maxie Chambliss guide young girls though the challenges and rewards potty training—from the first steps to the joy of graduating to big girl underpants! A helpful "Note to parents" is included.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-This set of gender-specific potty-training books is a cut above the rest in an already crowded field. Like Alyssa Satin Capucilli's The Potty Book for Boys and The Potty Book for Girls (both Barron's, 2000), their texts are identical, except for the gender references. "Michael is a boy just your age." "Ashley is a girl just your age." However, the direct, engaging language and questions aimed at young listeners make these titles far superior to Capucilli's singsong offerings. In both of Cole's titles, the parents buy a potty, encourage their child to use it, and eventually success is achieved. While the watercolor illustrations are not identical in the two books, they are very similar and add a cheerful, perky touch, portraying a boy/girl well into the toddler stage, surrounded by loving, smiling parents (no stress here). Cole's Your New Potty (Morrow, 1989) traces the progress of both a girl and boy, with alternating looks at each child, using photographs that, like Fred Rogers's Going to the Potty (PaperStar, 1997), give young listeners a look at other "real" children learning this momentous skill. Both Cole's older book and the newer pair include useful, clearly stated tips for parents.
Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Joanna Cole's My Big Boy Potty.

Ages 1-3. This book is very reassuring, leaving the impression that little Michael or Ashley (or any child) will be able to succeed at potty training. Cole's matter-of-fact text points out that practice makes perfect, while Chambliss' watercolor illustrations show smiles all around--on Mommy and Daddy's faces, on the kids' faces, and even on the stuffed animals' faces. There is no yelling, no scariness, and no one gets in trouble for having an accident. Michael, with his stuffed bear, and Ashley, with her stuffed bunny, easily transition from diapers to big-kid pants, and their satisfaction at accomplishing this feat is very apparent. The text is the same in both volumes except for one added line in the boys' book: "Daddy showed Michael how to stand up when he made pee-pee." The last page includes "Tips for Successful Potty Teaching," which is directed at parents. Kathy Broderick
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (December 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688170412
• ISBN-13: 978-0688170417
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( C ) > Cole, Joanna
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Toilet Training
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Social Skills

More About the Author

Joanna Cole s a former elementary school teacher and librarian and a frequent contributor to Parents magazine. Joanna Cole lives in Connecticut.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth A Look, September 18, 2003

By 

Michelle "michellesays" (U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Big Girl Potty (Hardcover)

Both Mommy and Daddy actively participating in Ashley's potty training process. Ashley realistic transitions from diapers to "special big-girl underpants" over time, not instantly. Author Joanna Cole uses questions to draw the child into the story ("Do you wear diapers, too?") as an encouraging parent would. The story concludes with ten common sense tips, such as "Don't rush!" and "Never scold or punish." and "Use a diaper at nap time..."

We have read almost every potty book available on the market as of 9/2003 (over two dozen!). Most fit into two categories: INSTRUCTIONAL books that introduce the skills needed to master the potty; and those that are primarily ENTERTAINING, for children who understand what is supposed to happen on the potty, but need extra time to make it happen.

I think My Big Girl Potty fits more in the INSTRUCTIONAL category for the following reasons:

1) It identifies the purpose of the potty.
2) It specifies bodily functions such as "poop" and "pee."
3) Shows the transition from diapers to big kid underwear.
4) Includes the hand washing step.

For other potty books that are instructional, check out What to Expect When You Use the Potty by Heidi Murkoff or You Can Go to the Potty by Martha Sears.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Addition To Your Potty Book Collection, March 27, 2005

By 

Danielle (Peabody MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Big Girl Potty (Hardcover)

This is one of many books I bought about potty training. I have to say I like this book. Ashley is just adorable. Both parents are involved in the training process (I'm the one who did the training in our family but I like the fact that it says to kids that dads can do it too). I also like that it wasn't instant success for Ashley. She tries twice to sit on the potty with no sucess and does have an accident. When she finally gets the hang of pottying, as a reward, she goes out with her parents and gets to pick out her own big girl underwear. I think this helped my daughter because I told her if potty training went well, I would buy her special underwear too, and not just any underwear--DORA underwear. I think that was a huge incentive for her and this book planted the seed.

This is not my daughter's favorite book, but she likes listening to it and I like reading it. I recommend it to any young trainee and their parents.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SHE DID IT!, October 10, 2000

By 

S. L. Monk (Mission Viejo, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Big Girl Potty (Hardcover)

I wanted to update my review from September 14,2000 to let everyone know that I read this book to my daughter - at her request! - every afternoon at naptime and every night at bedtime. Last week, October 4, 2000 she was officially "trained" - consistently using the potty. She's had two accidents, but loves her "big girl" underpants. She still asks me to read "My Big Girl Potty" every night, but now she interjects - "I do that" or "I'm a big girl" - throughout. As I said before this is a gentle introduction to potty training that really worked for us. Thank you.