Bertil and the Bathroom Elephants

Bertil and the Bathroom Elephants is an affectionate, funny look at imagination gone a bit too far. Bertil and his family are believable and the author is respectful of children's fantasies. I think the first reviewer is taking it much too seriously. The story is sophisticated, the drawings are charming, and unlike many current children's books it is not cloyingly sweet. A great book.

This book may be confusing to adults, but to someone who is intimidated by potty training it apparently makes perfect sense. As a stay at home mother of four BOY, COULD I RELATE TO THIS BOOK!!! Of course it can be confusing, so can 2 and 3 year olds. If you have never given your children "positive attention" for their imaginery playmates or let them have a snack on the toilet hoping they'll stay on for a few more minutes and pee in the toilet instead of the carpet this book is not for you. The artwork is simple but my kids recognize and enjoyed the legos, and other familiar toys and objects. While maybe not so aesthetically appealing to adults, my kids found the artwork to be just right. Oskar, (I'm pretty sure that's his name) his older brother is six but I thought it was pretty clear Bertil was three. It follows the fantasy problems (his fear of the bathroom's weird plumbing noises and strange pipes) and the humorous solutions of the adults to negotiate him back into the bathroom and off of potty chair in the hallway. This is definitely a boy or a tomboy book, the short choppy dialogue, fierce elephants and underwear in the toilet humor attest to that as does the ultimate solution wrought by Dad and the neighbor man who helped fixed the car. Although you never know, one of my boys is as devoted to this as to the very feminine Olivia the pig. And like the Olivia books the author throws in a lot of humor for the adults. It appears Bertil's mom's eyes are rolling as he explains it was the elephants' fault once again. This book definitely deserves a looksee.