How to Potty Train Your Porcupine

by Tom Toro

This laugh-out-loud picture book is a hilarious take on potty training by a talented New Yorker cartoonist -- perfect for fans of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and How to Babysit a Grandma.
Two children bring home a pet porcupine, but they can only keep her if she's house-trained! After a whirlwind of increasingly zany approaches, the kids learn that sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to ask nicely. With Tom's wit and dynamic artwork, this delightful story about learning to pee will bring joy and heart to young readers.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

Published May 12, 2020

About the author

Tom Toro is a New Yorker cartoonist and author/illustrator. His cartoons have been a popular feature of the New Yorker since 2010. His books include HOW TO POTTY TRAIN YOUR PORCUPINE (Little, Brown 2020), A USER'S GUIDE TO DEMOCRACY (Celadon Books, 2020), I'M TERRIFIED OF BATH TIME (Little, Brown 2022) and BACK TO SCHOOL, BACKPACK! (Little, Brown 2023) in collaboration with Simon Rich, and TINY HANDS (Dock Street Press, 2017). Tom was a finalist for the 2019 National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for gag cartoonist of the year. He contributed a dozen essays to the New Yorker Cartoon Encyclopedia, and his literary fiction has been shortlisted for the Disquiet International Literary Prize. Tom was an inaugural fellow at the Orchard Project Episodic Lab in screenwriting, and he was awarded a playwriting residency at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre Ground Floor. Through his speaker's bureau Tom gives presentations on cartooning internationally, including at Columbia University, the Kansas City Art Institute, Litquake San Francisco, and Day of Knowledge in Mexico City. Tom attended NYU graduate film school, where he co-created films that played at Sundance, Tribeca and Cannes. He graduated cum laude from Yale, receiving the Betts Prize for his literary work while also serving as captain of the national-champion lightweight rowing team and cartoon editor for the Yale Herald. Tom grew up in El Cerrito, California, where he was valedictorian of the local public high school. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, kid and cat.

Reviews

[Harriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a comical, delightful picture book for children, about two children and their pet porcupine, one of the sweetest and most energetic creatures you could hope to meet. The cartoon-like illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist Tom Toro are absolutely gorgeous and hilarious. I recommend this to children ages 0 - 7, because the littlest kids will be fascinated by the effort to encourage the porcupine to do the right thing, and older kids will feel the relief and delight of knowing that they have mastered what the porcupine learns with such grace and humor by the end. Extra points for the lovely, gentle message of the story: that sometimes, if you ask nicely, miracles can happen!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Review on thegraduatedbookworm.com

First I would like to thank Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

This obviously was a super quick read, but I absolutely LOVED it! I feel like this could be a book to read out loud in a group or to your kids. Definitely animated, and really funny, I think your kids would laugh out loud both at the writing as well as the illustrations!

Can I take a second to admire the Illustrations in the book too?! They were just on point, and I really loved how it all flowed so well!

[Julie Grace Immink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Politeness if the perfect prickle-proof protection

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could this not be cute. The pictures are adorable.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute and funny read about 2 siblings trying to potty train a porcupine in order to get to keep her as a pet.

My kids and I laughed throughout this whole book. It has become a bedtime favorite! These siblings found some very creative ways to potty training. If you and your kids need a lighthearted hilarious read look no further!
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Thank You to the publisher for sending us this book opinions are my own.
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[Melissa Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Hachette Canada for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very comical story with amusing images. As my niece is currently potty training, I thought it might be a good story for her. I think she will absolutely adore it. I can hear her giggling at the pictures of this porcupines antics, haha.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for funny picture books, and this one is very funny. The pictures tell a portion of the story that the text doesn't. This book would be particularly hilarious for the potty trained pre-school set. Even Kindergarteners and 1st graders would enjoy this one.

[Liam Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, clever, and lovingly rendered, like all Mr Toro's work.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book with great pictures about two siblings that are trying to potty train a porcupine. It is so much fun, has some great alliteration and a lot of fun pictures for kiddos to look at.

[Zao Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This truly is a hilarious and emotionally moving user's manual for kids and adults alike. We could all use a "reset button" every now and then. Our family loves it!

[Tiziana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny story with cute graphics about two children who must potty train a porcupine in order to keep her as their pet.

[Lupe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so funny! I can't wait to read it to my students! This would be such a terrific introduction for a writing unit.

[Emma-Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea is funny, but the story didn’t really go anywhere.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not actually great for encouraging your/my kiddo to use the potty.