Time to Pee! [Hardcover]

Mo Willems (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Toilet training has never been such an adventure as when it is introduced by popular cartoonist Mo Willems. With his signature humor, the author gently leads children through each step in the process that will finally bring them to their emancipation from diapers. Featuring a crew of funny mice holding up signs with the text, children will be amused and inspired by this hilarious new picture book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Good toilet training books seem as scarce as a clean public restroom in Times Square, and, unfortunately, this book won't alleviate the problem. A parade of needy children is joined by a group of wise mice that guides the youngsters to the bathroom and back. Encouraging phrases will assist reluctant children: "Don't Panic! Don't Fret! And please don't ignore it! Now is your chance to show how BIG you are!" Reminders to use toilet paper, flush, and wash hands are included. A final message reassures, "Don't worry if you don't get it right the first time-you'll get another chance." The book's benefits are overshadowed by the busy and possibly confusing illustrations. Large, bold type is set word by word into flags, banners, and signs held by the small creatures. When one child arrives in the bathroom, the toilet lid is covered with a well-meaning but unfortunately placed mouse band. While libraries will be able to work around the chart on the inside of the dustjacket and the page of (unattached) stickers that will allow children to record their successes, these features make the book most useful for home libraries.
Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS. This good-natured book, by the author of Don't Let the Pigeons Drive the Bus [BKL S 1 03], uses just the right tack for kids who theoretically understand toilet use, but still have misgivings about it in practice. Potty trainees will delight in reviewing bathroom procedures alongside a cast of worried-looking boys and girls and a pep squad of encouraging mice. Willems again demonstrates a genius for spare but expressive lines and an almost uncanny rapport with the preschool audience. The plainspoken text, which appears in placards raised cheerleader-style by the mice, offers pithy instructions ("Boys can stand. Girls should sit") and assurances ("It won't take long") that get right at the heart of kids' concerns. There's no real story, and true to its title, the book deals only with one bodily function. But, never mind; it will still go a long way toward easing the anxiety surrounding this developmental hurdle. Each copy comes with a chart on the flip side of the book jacket and reward stickers for home use, but don't let that stop you from putting it on the library shelf. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 1st edition (September 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786818689
• ISBN-13: 978-0786818686
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Toilet Training

More About the Author

A three-time Caldecott Honor winner for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Mo Willems has also won two Geisel Medals for There is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside? And his books are perennial New York Times bestsellers. Before he turned to children's books, Mo was a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmy Awards. Mo lives with his family in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful -- "I feel proud", November 29, 2003

By 

J. Camp (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Time to Pee! (Hardcover)

We're using this book during a potty training marathon with our rather willful 2-year old. It has helped him put words to the positive feeling he gets when he succeeds ("I feel proud", he says, beaming.) The text is presented in a fun way, in the form of celebratory signs and banners paraded by supportive mice. His older brother enjoys sounding out the words, so it's nice to have a book they both can enjoy. I haven't used the stickers and chart yet (he's not to that stage yet) but I remember hand-making something similar for his older brother when we were working on consistency -- it worked like a champ!

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's number one, November 11, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Time to Pee! (Hardcover)

Before he wowed the world with not-very-scary monsters and before the term "knuffle bunny" entered the American lexicon, Mo Willems began his career with two almost simultaneous picture books. The first of these was the incredibly popular and award winning, "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus". The other was the far more instructional, "Time To Pee". Obviously Mr. Willems must have understood that there is a significant gap in quality toilet training picture books out there. Though suspiciously similar in some ways to "Ten Minutes To Bedtime" by Peggy Rathmann, the book is an effective helpmate to those parents facing the inevitable toddler v. toilet battles to come.

The book is a sort of instructional guide for kids. A countless multitude of endlessly helpful mice hold up banners, signs, printed parachutes, etc. to tell kids exactly what to do when they get, "that funny feeling". Children are told not to panic and that this is the perfect time to show their maturity. Just go to the bathroom and follow some simple steps. Lift the lid (good thinking there!), remove underwear, sit or stand, use toilet paper afterwards, flush (again, good thinking), and wash your hands. That done you can continue with whatever it was you were doing. "At least, until you get that feeling again...". A small mouse positioned next a suspiciously yellow puddle holds a sign that reads, "P.S. Don't worry if you don't get it right the firest time - you'll get another chance".

What a relief (ho ho) this book is after all the other awful potty training books out there. I won't name them by name. They know who they are. It's fun to see exactly what the objections to this book have been over the years. No book that talks about issues with kids (be it a death in the family, sex-ed, or the first day of school) is ever universally loved. Everyone has their own opinion on how to best convey certain ideas to very young people. Taking a gander at some of the professional reviews of this book, I see that some aren't fans of the ways in which the mice communicate. I mean, they never actually speak directly to the viewer and their disjointed sentences could be confusing. They're not, but they could be. Another objection states that it sends a rather mixed message to have an entire mousey band playing on top of the toilet seat when the kids come in. Due to the fact that this is just one picture and that the very first instructions tell kids to LIFT that same seat, I'm not seeing any problems here.

I think Mr. Willems' choice of language was perfect when it came to designating kids toilet roles. Some reviewers have sneered at the sentences, "Boys can stand. Girls should sit". I don't think there are going to be that many parents out there who disagree. I mean, if you want to teach your little girls to stand, all power to you. That's your prerogative. But boys really do have a choice either way (hence the use of "can") and girls really do not have a choice (hence the "should"). Duh. I mean, we're dealing with pretty basic stuff here. These sentences have nothing to do with gender roles and everything to do with the construction of the human body.

Now think back to the toilet training picture books of your own youth. Can you conjure up any that were particularly useful to YOU when learning as a child? No? That's probably because there weren't any. And there aren't many today either. This book doesn't have the sly understated wit found in so many other Mo Willems' stories, but it fulfills a very big need and does so perfectly. Be sure to check out the sequel, "Time to Say Please!" as well. I'm still a little suspicious when I consider how mighty close this book is to "Ten Minutes To Bedtime (which, quite frankly, is better illustrated) but I'm gonna give Mr. Willems the benefit of the doubt here and recommend "Time to Pee" heartily. A good gift and a great book.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT, Must Get!!, November 28, 2003

By 

Truth Seeker "Truth" (Fort Worth, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Time to Pee! (Hardcover)

As a professional Child Counselor, I recommend this book and own it. The reason for this book, is to teach children how to use the restroom in a polite way. Eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom are learned behaviors.

The author writes very simplistic, and the pictures are eye-catching. Wonderful book