Customer Reviews

Potty!

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The purpose of this "potty" book is to entertain your child. It does not get into anatomical detail or bathroom procedures. It starts with a potty in the middle of a jungle with a note that says "Only the best bottom of all will fit on this potty." The story continues with seven different animals (zebra, giraffe, leopard, snake, elephant, gorilla and tortoise) trying the potty with no luck. Finally, a child is sitting on the potty. The author ends by asking "Does your bottom fit on the potty?". My 2 year old always answers "YES!" and is very pleased that his bottom fits his own potty. Out of six different "potty" books we own this is always his first choice. Not only is the story entertaining, but the illustrations are also very appealling to my 2 year old with bold lines and wonderful colors.

You're exploring the lush African jungle. You feel the humidity, hear the monkeys, touch the trees, see a'potty? Couldn't be! But it can ' and is ' as Zebra soon discovers.

The note reads: 'Only the best bottom of all will fit.' Zebra, Giraffe, Leopard, Snake, Gorilla, and Tortoise all try to fit and fail. The plot is predictable and the use of talking animals not original. But Potty! has global appeal. The book has been translated into several languages and even has its own puppet show (!?).

But international popularity doesn't mean a thing if the book is not a hit in my home'and it was! Mylo Freeman's text is comical (who WOULD have the guts to tell Leopard his bottom is too big?). Her vibrant watercolor illustrations capture the exotic essence of the tropics.

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 Potty! fits more in the ENTERTAINING category. It's definitely a family favorite. Hunting for other potty books with animal shenanigans? Read Sara's Potty by Harriet Ziefert or Potty Time! By Guido Van Genechten.

My son loves this book. We borrowed it from the library, and I'm going to have to renew it ! He thinks it's very funny that the animals would try to sit on the potty, when they obviously can't fit.

I'm glad I was able to find it to purchase.

I would ditto the comments of some of the others. The animal idea is cute. If you are introducing your child to the idea of using a potty and want them to feel special, this would be a great book. The animals end up revealing that a potty seat is really meant for someone special like your boy or girl.

When you are ready to have them use the potty you will need other books that introduce the process.

Caught my son's imagination. First reading and then he had us act it out. He assigned us all animal characters with him in the end being the little boy who fit just right. Set in the jungle with African animals outside of an African village so the little boy who fits just right is an African toddler. I changed some of the text when I read it to him so all of the animals were friendly toward each other and not scarry since we were reading it at night time or when we were on the potty. Not scarry as is though just made them a little nicer! :)

This book has a decent concept - little boys and girls are special because they get to sit on a potty. But seeing animals try to sit on it is just weird and my kids didn't enjoy it so we no longer read it.