Busting! by Aaron Blabey

Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781743812389
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended, Toilets, Problem solving, Verse. All readers will instantly sympathise with the animal on the cover: eyes popping, mouth grimaced, running helter skelter following the sign to the toilet. Who hasn't been there!
Opening the endpapers reveal the almost white tiles found when the toilet is reached, but opening the book to the next pages the little animal with the problem finds that there is quite a queue to this loo.
Blabey in his wonderfully irreverent style of story telling has Lou, the hero, trying to talk his way into the loo, past the other animals in the queue. They all tell him in no uncertain words, that he is not allowed to jump the queue and to shoo. And shoo he does, trying to find somewhere to relieve himself that isn't obvious. Several spots cause him some discomfort. He can be seen behind the bamboo, the kangaroo boots him away, while other receptacles, a shoe, a boat and a cup are all too public, until he finally finds a queue free loo.
Wonderful rhyming words will intrigue the readers as they get their mouths round the words, predicting what might come next. And of course the last page will have the readers call out the obvious rhyme with Lou when he finally reaches the toilet, but they will be wrong and so laugh again at the way Blabey finishes his tale.
His illustrations are wonderful, inviting the reader to follow the hero's antics almost holding their breath with him as he searches for a place to relieve himself. Apart from being blindingly funny and a wonderful book to share and reread, this book will be an amazing introduction to the toilet procedure within schools and preschools, some of which are coping with children who are not toilet trained.
Fran Knight