Where's the Potty on This Ark?

by Kerry M. Olitzky, Abi Tompkins (Contributor)

Uh-oh! The animals need to go. Not just on a journey on Noah's Ark, but to the potty, too! Noah's wife, Naamah, helps each animal--owl, giraffe, monkey, raccoon, and even elephant--go potty while on the big ark.

Genres: Picture Books

24 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2018

About the author

Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky is a leader in the development of Jewish education, particularly for adults. He has shaped training programs for clergy of all faiths, especially in the area of pastoral care and counseling in the Jewish community. He is the author of over 75 books and hundreds of articles in a variety of fields. He is known for books that bring the insights of Jewish wisdom into everyday living. His opinion pieces are published in leading publications throughout North America and in Israel. Most of his recent publications are children's picture books, as well as the early reader The Adventures of Leila and Ilana

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now picture books based on Bible stories are generally NOT all that much my thing anyhow, and truth be told I only downloaded Kerry M. Olitzky's Where's the Potty on this Ark? because it was a ridiculously cheap Amazon purchase and well, I have to admit that I was also wondering and questioning why ANYONE would consider penning a picture book about how the animals on Noah's Ark relieve themselves, how they use the so-called potty. For really, even as a young child, when I was at the age of three and four indeed often rather intrigued by and curious about the myth of Noah's Ark and how the myriad of animal species would be able live together under one roof for forty days and forty nights while it relentlessly poured rain, it certainly never even remotely occurred to me to consider what the bathroom facilities on the Ark were like, how the many different animal species urinated and defecated during their voyage. And after now having read through Where's the Potty on this Ark?, I am for one personally a bit offended by the painfully and categorically stated and described dictum that according to author Kerry M. Olitzky, it is obviously Noah's wife Naamah who is totally and solely charged with personally seeing to ALL of the day to day (housework like) interactions with the Ark's animals, including showing them the aptly named potty room, where there are and I quote plenty of different potties so that everyone will be comfortable (and yes, Noah himself only appears but once at the very beginning of Where's the Potty on This Ark? and merely in a sort of grand overseer and supervisor role). And for two, I personally indeed also do think that the author must suffer from some really heavy duty religious issues if Terry M Olitzky truly believes that one should have to pray to God every time one has finished with one's bodily functions, with one's business (as honestly, that prayer the owl teaches to the other animals at the end of Where's the Potty on This Ark? and that the animals are supposed to after each and every trip to the bathroom thank God for their bodies and that their bodies work, to claim that this has felt rather strange and potentially creepy is truly a bit of a personal understatement).

And yes, certainly, although I do indeed now know and well realise that this prayer is actually a Jewish ritual blessing following the act of excretion (called the asher yatzar), it still does personally feel both unnatural and not all that healthy to and for me to have to pray to God and ask for His blessing after each and every bathroom use (for considering that when my bowels are irritated and acting up, I often have to use the washroom four times or more in an hour, it certainly seems strange, unnatural and religiously extreme to have to pray after each time). Therefore, Where's the Potty on This Ark? is absolutely and totally not to be recommended at least on my part (for even though Abigail Tompkins' accompanying illustrations are actually and definitely bright and rather sweetly humorous, author Kerry M. Olitzky's printed words are much too strangely didactic and indeed in my opinion rather bordering with that final prayer on some major religious overzealousness).

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd. Intrigued by the premise but this was dull and oddly didactic. Positive side addressed the question that concerns us all, but especially the recently potty trained, of wanting to know where the facilities are when we inhabit a new space. Also made the valid point that as every living thing eats, every living thing poops and that is natural and fine. But then goes on to extrapolate that god shows his love by having Noah create a separate, just right potty for every species on the ark?! Not convincing on any level.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations 3.5 stars, but the text left much to be desired.

[John Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This picture book teaches a prayer for kids to say after they've gone to the bathroom. The fuck????

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christianity, potty training, LGBT-friendly (two hens and two male lions!) :D

Niche audience, but impactful!

[Elizabeth]

A fairly simple story that playfully imagines Noah's ark includes different potties for all the different animals.

A Note to Readers on the copyright page says:

According to tradition, God gave Noah instructions for managing everything having to do with the care of the animals on the Ark, from feeding and housing them, to dealing with animal waste. Some scholars say that Noah's Ark had three "decks," with waste stored on the lowest deck, people and animals on the middle deck, and birds on the top deck. A different interpretation describes the waste as being stored on the top deck and then shoveled into the sea. Of course we don't really know, so enjoy our lighthearted interpretation.

It seems like part of what the book is trying to do is help the child-reader with potty-training -- Raccoon really needs to go, and Mother Hen takes him to the potty and we read:

Raccoon smiles at his friends. It's fun learning how to use the potty on the big Ark.

Mother Hen doesn't rush Raccoon. She knows it is hard to learn new things.

"Take your time," she says.

After they return, Owl tells all the animals:

Your body is special. All kinds of things are happening inside it. Food goes in and helps to make us strong. But food also needs a way to leave your body when your body is done using it. That's when we go to the potty.

Every creature has to go potty. We take our time and let our body do its work.

It is our job to take care of our bodies. We eat good foods and drink lots of water.

The book closes with Owl teaching the animals this prayer for after they finish going potty: "Thank you, God, for my body. Thank you, God, for making my wonderful body do its work."

This book is published by Kar-Ben, a Jewish publishing company, and I assume the prayer is intended to evoke the asher yatzar (the blessing following an act of excretion).