It’s the one everyone raves about and the one that went to number one in the Amazon children’s chart after Chris Evans mentioned it on his radio breakfast show.

I’m talking about Pirate Pete’s potty training book by Andrea Pinnington (£6.99), the story thousands of desperate parents up and down the country credit with finally persuading their little ones to do their business on the loo.

Mumsnet and Ladybird Books recently got in touch asking me to review the said tome, and as the owner of a three-year-old who flatly refuses to go anywhere other than in his nappy (possibly as a result of being the middle child and wanting to remain a baby in my totally inexpert opinion, but that’s another story) I have to admit I was skeptical: how could a story possibly change his mind?

It turns out that this is far more than just a story, and if you’ve got a little one of toilet training age you need this book in your life (Princess Polly is also available).

5 reasons to buy Pirate Pete’s potty training book

1. It involves the whole family. There’s mummy pirate, daddy pirate, big sister pirate and baby brother pirate (note Pirate Pete is also the middle child, which if you ask me rather proves my middle child theory) who are all rooting for him to do his business on the potty. We made a point of reading the book for the first time as a family and making a big thing about it being a special book just for Little B, and he lapped it up.

2. It features real poo. A big, brown, human turd. And what kid doesn’t like poo?

3. There’s an applause button. Admittedly this is a tad annoying the first 20 times, but if you haven’t already you’ll soon develop the battery operated selective hearing required for these things and tune out, while they continue to love it like they’ve just heard it for the first time.

4. It comes with a reward chart. And the reward chart doesn’t just reward actual potty going, it rewards putting on ‘big boy’ pants and sitting on the potty too – all the things we’ve been struggling to get Little B to even entertain, never mind actually do.

5. It will totally change their mindset. Little B has gone from refusing to engage in a conversation about potty training to wanting to go shopping to buy pants and agreeing to try to sit on the potty. It’s early days but he’s showing the book off to everybody and has totally bought into it.

Have you come across Pirate Pete and Princess Polly potty training books before? Have you potty trained your own princess or pirate recently and do you have any top tips? I’d love to hear what they are!

I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity.

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