My Big Boy Potty
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, NYCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.