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Chad Kase and John Burke of First Time Books personalize their stories by changing the name, gender, ethnicity, hair color, age, friends, and parents of the main character. Their hope is that the child will be engaged in the story because they become the focus of the story.
In Ryan’s Very Own Potty Book, the boy is throwing his diapers away in preparation for toilet training. “It’s awesome, I must say.” He then sits on the toilet, which is called the throne, and makes his parents proud (they are never shown) because he went “numbers one and two”. He washes his hands by himself (he can reach the sink because he’s standing on a stool), and then he cheers, “Hip! Hip! Hooray!” The book ends with four full-page seven days of the week charts, where toilet training progress can be checked off. The bottom of these pages has the words, “You’re a star!” on them. The digital illustrations are colorful. The bathroom floor is checkered yellow and green. The shadows are purple, and the white text appears against a bright orange background.
In Caroline’s Very Own Potty Book, a young girl and her young male friend get locked in a zoo when they go back to look at the dolphins right before closing time. As the animals lift them up and out of a variety of enclosures, they get a chance to interact with the animals in their cages before they themselves are able to walk home. The illustrations include zebras, bears, monkeys, lions, and elephants. The children eat ice cream and cotton candy. The only other person in this story is a balloon seller. He’s seen in the background.
Parents looking for new ways to engage their children in a story might want to give these a try. But I would definitely pair them with a variety of other books too so they have a chance to meet characters other than themselves and experience different perspectives.
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Very Own Potty Book