Monkey Business

‘You’re getting grown up

You should try something new.

Say goodbye to your potty

And sit on the loo!’

This bright and engagingly illustrated picturebook with a rhyming story has huge appeal for young children. Charlie Chatter has lost his potty and does not fancy using a lavatory. Mr Noah calls on the  pairs  of animals on the ark to convince the young monkey that going to the loo can be fun.  Lions snooze, cows who have four stomachs have a ‘really long chat’ while eating afternoon tea, and snakes find the loo ‘the perfect place to curl up with a book’.  Charlie is persuaded by all this but when he arrives at the bathroom he cannot get in. And it’s urgent!  It turns out that Mrs Noah is inside repairing the roof and using the now redundant potty to catch the drips.

Parents will find that children in transition from a potty will be encouraged by listening to the story. But slightly older children will also be amused and may be able to read some of the text themselves.  Five-year-old Fred laughed helplessly when he reached the part of the story where Charlie, desperate for the loo, finds the door is stuck.