Product Description

The classic books on a timeless subject -- for a new generation.

In 1975, Alona Frankel wrote and illustrated her first book, especially for her son Michael, on how to use the potty. Thirty-two years later, Once Upon a Potty -- Boy and Once Upon a Potty -- Girl are the classic books on potty training and have sold more than four million copies worldwide. These children's books help parents everywhere deal successfully with an often vexing challenge for the whole family.

Thanks to their timeless words and beloved images, Once Upon a Potty -- Boy and Once Upon a Potty -- Girl are being discovered and used by a new generation of parents. These two books, with their phenomenal staying power, target and meet the needs of an obviously perpetual market.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4768 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781554072842
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
Your child will be empowered by Prudence as she learns to use her new potty. (us.pampers.com )

Addresses potty training for parents who may be looking to use just the right words. (Tara Munkatchy Daily Local News [West Chester PA] )

About the Author

Alona Frankel is the author and illustrator of 30 children's books. Her characters "Joshua" and "Prudence" from the Potty books have gone onto star in other stories and in videos and instruction books.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Dear Fellow-Parents,

Once Upon a Potty is best used as a companion volume to a child's new potty. I wrote this book when my own child was toilet training to help him better understand the process. My son was encouraged and excited by this story. It motivated him to make the developmental leap from diaper to potty.

Potty talk has long been considered taboo in conversation -- even between parent and child. Thankfully, this attitude is changing, and children and parents are all the happier for it. I believe that a frank and open approach to all bodily functions is a good, healthy attitude toward child rearing. I have decided to use "Wee-Wee" and "Poo-Poo" in this book, but I encourage you to read the story with your child using words most suitable for you and your family.

Learning to use the potty is often a lengthy process, taxing the patience of both parent and child. When success finally comes -- and it should come in its own good time without undue pressure or haste -- it enhances the child's confidence and pride. She has taken another step toward independence. She sat on the potty as a little child and got up feeling ten feet tall.

It's one small step for mankind, but a giant one for your family.

Love,
Alona

Customer Reviews

Be creative folks
Goodness gracious. I do wish people would calm down about the terminology used in these books. The author writes a nice little note indicating that she used her preferred terms and encourages parents to CHANGE them to whatever they wish to use when they read the book to their pre-literate children, who won't know the difference. No, I do not say pee pee and wee wee when I read this to my daughter. I use terms I prefer. Likewise, I often change the text in books when I read them to my daughter if I don't care for the text as written for some reason or another. Additionally, my daughter knows that the chamber pot pictured in the book is a potty, and our "big toilet" is a potty, and the cat's litter box is a "kitty potty" but she doesn't crawl in there or void in my potted plants for that matter....This is a cute little story with sweet pictures and a simple story line. The potty doesn't sing, clap, play music, or hand Prudence a sticker...it just provides her a place to go that might be preferable to her (gasp) cloth diaper. My daughter enjoys the book greatly and will select it (in addition to several other favorite non-potty books) to listen to/look it while she uses her own potty. I personally like that it avoids any implication that if one is a "big" boy or girl that they should potty or that diapers are for babies. There is no mention of Prudence's age or of any timeline relative to how long it takes her to to master the potty. It mentions that accidents may happen and there is no suggestion of a good or bad consequence as a result. The book provides a framework without shame or pressure for sweet Prudence and leaves it to the parent(s) to fill in the rest for their child as/if they wish.

Everybody on the potty!
"Once Upon a Potty," by Alona Frankel, is a fun book for small children and their caregivers. The book tells the story of Prudence, a little girl who has gotten a new potty, and is learning how to use it.

The book is full of bright, friendly illustrations. There are explicit depictions of body parts, urine, and excrement: this enhances the educational value of the book, in my opinion. There are a number of nice touches, like the pretty flower pattern of the mom's dress.

Although I have only seen the "girl" version of the book, I understand there is also a "boy" version. "Once Upon a Potty" is a good book for families going through toilet training, but would also make a nice light-hearted gift for anybody.

The Definitive Potty Primer
I am an early childhood educator, and from my experience as a parent and teacher of two year olds, I must say that this is the definitive potty primer. Once Upon a Potty is the only book/video set which details exactly what a child will go through. It labels body parts as a part of the explanation, which really pulls it together for a small child. I used the "boy" set for my boy, and I'm using the "girl" set for my girl. I've tried other books and videos, and this is the only book and tape that uses language and imagery that is exactly age-appropriate for a two year old. Age-appropriate communication is critical, especially with such an important developmental issue. Newer tapes (Big Blue House) discuss emotions but completely avoid toileting itself, and are therefore useless to a two year old. Grown-ups may complain about two-dimensional pictures or the type of potty depicted, but used with the video (which uses a terrific one-piece potty by Baby-Bjorn) nothing could be more entertaining or communicate more clearly to your young child. If you child is older, (3 and older) I recommend "Winston's Potty Chair", a video by the American Medical Association. The children depicted look like toddlers, but speak like older 3 year olds, and Winston's story is a bit more sophisticated.