Oh No, Gotta Go! by Susan Middleton Elya

Illustrated by G. Brian Karas.32 p., Putnam, 2003.

Part of potty learning is learning to tell your caregivers when you need to use the bathroom. In this energetically rhyming story, a little girl is riding in the car with her parents when she needs to go. Her father looks for a bathroom, but it's Sunday, and most businesses are closed. He reassures her as she expresses more and more urgency. Finally, Papa sees a construction worker, who directs him to a restaurant. There's a long line for the rest room, but the girl's mother politely asks the other women to let the little girl go ahead of them because it's so urgent. They agree sympathetically, and the girl finds relief at last. The family eats a meal at the restaurant, and no sooner are they off again, than the little girl needs a bathroom. The charming illustrations clearly express the girl's urgency. Children will identify with the girl's experiences, and will learn that sometimes you have to wait when you need to go to the bathroom. English-speaking children will learn some Spanish words, too, since the text includes many Spanish words, with a glossary.

Ages 2-4