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

The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke

Translated by Anthea Bell. Illustrated by Kerstin Meyer. 32 p., Scholastic/Chicken House, 2001.

Restrictive cultural ideas can't keep a princess down in this story. A widowed king decides to teach his daughter, Violetta, the same things he is teaching her three older brothers - riding, fighting, and arrogance. Violetta is small, and her brothers tease her as she struggles to keep up with them. But she's very determined, and she goes out at night and quietly practices her skills. As a result, when she jousts with her brothers, she's so quick that they can't hit her with their swords. When Violetta is turning 16, the king announces a jousting tournament, with her hand in marriage going to the winner. Deeply offended, Violetta enters the tournament herself as Sir No-Name, and to her father's amazement, she wins. She decides to choose her own prize: "no one will ever win Princess Violetta's hand in marriage without first defeating Sir No-Name." No one ever challenges her again.The illustrations are very expressive of both Violetta's smallness and her toughness. The strength of Violetta's self-determination will be an inspiration to girls.

Ages 5-8

Ruby in Her Own Time by Jonathan Emmett

Illustrated by Rebecca Harry.32 p., Scholastic, 2004.

Each child develops and her or his own rate. In this story, Mother Duck and Father Duck have five eggs. Four hatch into ducklings; the fifth takes a little longer. Thus begins the story's refrain: Father Duck asks, "Will it/she EVER..." and Mother Duck replies, "It/she will. In its/her own time." The fifth duckling, Ruby, takes longer than her siblings to eat and to swim. But when her siblings fly, Ruby flies too - farther and longer than her siblings. This time, Mother Duck wonders whether she will ever come back, and Father Duck reassures her that Ruby will, "in her own time." And she does, having become a mother duck herself. With its gentle, but richly colored, illustrations, this story offers reassurance that all paths of development can lead to happy outcomes.

Ages 3-6

I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont

Illustrated by David Catrow. 32 p., Harcourt, 2004.

Liking ourselves means liking all that we are. In this charmingly rhymed story, full of delightful silliness, a little girl expresses liking for herself - her body, her moods, her thoughts, and even her potential to look very very strnge. She knows that no matter what she looks like, she's the same inside, and "nothing in this world, you know,/ can change what's deep inside." She doesn't mind if other people think she's strange, in part because she realizes that what someone else sees of her is at most, only part of who she really is. With colorful illustrations whose silliness matches the text and that are sometimes reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, this story vigorously supports kids' self-acceptance.

Ages 3-7

Brave Bear by Kathy Mallat

24 p., Walker and Company, 1999.

In this almost wordless book, a little bear sees a bird that has fallen from its nest, and offers to help. The bear is doubtful and scared climbing up the bird's tree, but keeps on going. The bear eventually puts the bird back in the nest, and feels confident. This story encourages children to keep trying even when they think they can't do something, and shows them that courage means persisting even when they're afraid.

Ages 1-3

The Healing Tree by Kathleen Maresh Hemery

Illustrated by Kyra Teis.25 p., Centering Corporation, 2001.

Samantha asks her Baba (grandma) Marta why the tree has a scar. Baba tells her how the tree was special to her because it had an important role in some of her best times with her mother. When Baba's mother died, when Baba was still a little girl, lightning struck the tree, causing it to lose the branch from which Baba's swing hung. The tree became like Baba and her family, scarred by a sudden loss and changed forever, but eventually healing. This story offers children empathy with the pain of losing someone close, and hope that there is healing after grief.

Ages 6-10

All Kinds of Children by Norma Simon

Illustrated by Diane Paterson. 32 p., Whitman, 1999.

Children all over the world have a lot in common: they all need food, clothes, sleep, and people to love them; they all live in houses; they all like to play, to hold something special, like a blanket, and to hear or read stories. And all children grow up. At the same time, there are differences among children; for example, although all children sleep, they may have different kinds of beds and dream different kinds of dreams. This story helps children recognizes their commonalities across cultures, while acknowledging differences.

Ages 2-5