Kleine pinguïn Leon maakt ’s nachts een paar keer zijn mama en papa wakker omdat hij moet plassen. Iedere ochtend zijn papa en mama heel erg moe. Dan vertelt mama hoe grote pinguïns dat doen. Prentenboek met humoristische, sober gekleurde illustraties. Vanaf ca. 3 jaar.

This short story was about how Leon always either calls to his mom or dad to take him to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. In the middle of story Leon’s mom tells him that big boys his age go to the bathroom on their own at night. Eventually Momma asked if Leon if he would try to go to the bathroom by himself one night, so mom and dad could get some sleep. Leon had finally gone to the bathroom by himself, and he was so proud of himself he just had to go tell his parents. I think that this book would be able to teach kid’s independence, and confidence. While both of these don’t necessarily have to do with just using the bathroom other circumstances can be created as children grow to also tech independence and confidence. ( )

Very cute story about potty training and independence. The illustrations are simple, but help to tell the story of a penguin learning to be independent perfectly.
Age range: 2 - 5 Years (B&N) ( )

140 miles north of my home is a publisher with some fantastic books. I try to bring them to you every chance I get, and today is one of those times. I am so happy to bring you All By Myself by Emile Jadoul, published by Eerdman Books for Young Readers.

Every night, it’s the same.
Leon wakes up.
He has to use the bathroom.
So Leon calls to his mom:
“Mommy, I need to go potty!”

Leon is a young penguin who is tiring out his mother with his late night call for help. Every morning she awakes nearly as tired as when she went to sleep.
Leon sometimes needs to go potty twice a night. When that happens, his daddy answers his call for help. The next morning, both mommy and daddy are tired from lack of sleep.
Leon needs to learn to go potty by himself.

I really like this book for young children. Learning to use the potty is hard and many books detail the struggles children have learning this essential skill. I have not seen a book about getting out of bed and going potty, all without the need of mom or dad, or anyone else.

The illustrations are wonderful. The story of Leon will please young children. I think it can also encourage them to dig deep and find the courage to go potty without anyone needing anyone’s help.

The surprise ending is so good children, and their parents, will roar after reading what happens with Leon. All By Myself will delight parents, who will not mind reading this charmer night after night. The story eases children into deciding they are ready to potty at night without the help of mom or dad.

I like how the book uses humor to get a message across to children. They will laugh but also think about following Leon’s actions. Any parent trying to get their child to get out of bed and go potty, without waking anyone up, will love this book. The illustrations are simplistic yet cute, and they do not overpower the goal of the story.

book courtesy of the publisher, Eerdman Books for Young Readers
Originally reviewed at Kid Lit Reviews:
http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2012/08/03/all-by-myself-by-emile-jadoul/ ( )

Potty training can be difficult, especially at night. A little penguin named Leon takes on the challenge of getting through the night without waking his parents because he has to use the potty. After several tries, he might finally be able to get the job done.

Very basic story with some cute pictures of the penguin family. It is a cute story, so very simple and basic that it doesn't have anything unique to recommend it. The large print makes it easier to read and show at the same time. Simple words if young kids want to practice their reading even after the potty training is over. I received this advance copy from LibraryThing (yeah - thanks) ( )