Time to Pee!
A crew of encouraging mice use placards to create a step-by-step checklist: notice the feeling, stop, go, wipe, flush, and wash. It turns the process into a manageable routine rather than a story about a "perfect" child.
Time to Pee! by Mo Willems is estimated to take about 4 minutes to read aloud (250 words, about 1 sentence a page), and it lands best with children aged 2-4.
Check the book on AmazonAffiliate link
- Estimated read-aloud time
- about 4 minutesEstimated read-aloud time
- Estimated word count
- 250Our estimate
- Sentences per page
- 1Sentence per page
- Re-read tolerance
- 3/5holds up
- Vocabulary level
- 2/5everyday words
- Best for
- Ages 2-4Our editorial fit
Our review
This book functions more as a visual guide than a traditional story. The mice act as little coaches, walking a child through the physical steps of the bathroom routine in a way that is easy to follow.
It is highly instructional, which makes it a great tool for building a habit. However, once the routine is mastered, the need for the "lesson" may decrease.
Before you buy it
Since this is designed as an instructional tool, it likely won't see much use once a child is fully potty trained.
Themes
- toilet
- routine
- encouragement
- mice
Books like Time to Pee!
Matched by refrain, density, length, and listener—not just the subject.
Questions parents ask
How long does it take to read Time to Pee! aloud?
About 4 minutes at an unhurried pace, including a standard allowance for page turns, pictures and participation, from a word count of 250. Stopping for a longer conversation on every page will add more time.
What age is Time to Pee! actually for?
Ages 2-4 in our testing, which is narrower than the publisher's range. With 1 sentence a page and vocabulary at 2 out of 5, it asks for that much attention span and no more.
Does Time to Pee! survive being read on repeat?
Yes, reasonably. It stays bearable through the repeat-request phase without becoming a favourite forever.
Is Time to Pee! a good book for a child who will not sit still?
It helps that it has a refrain a child can join in with. Those three features are what keep a wriggling toddler listening, far more than the subject matter does.
Will my child memorise Time to Pee!?
Probably, and fast. The book leans on a repeated refrain, and at 3 out of 5 for re-read tolerance it survives the nightly repeats that get a book memorised. Expect your child to chant the pattern back before they can actually read.
Can a beginning reader read Time to Pee! on their own?
It is closer than most picture books. With 1 sentence a page and plain vocabulary (2 out of 5), a confident early reader can attempt it, though it is written to be read aloud first.
What themes does Time to Pee! cover?
We tag it with toilet, routine, encouragement and mice. Those are the threads that actually run through the book, not just the ones on the cover, which is how it earns its place on our themed lists rather than a keyword match.
