The Princess and the Pee
Effua Gleed and Juanita Londoño Gaviria
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

This is a modern fairy tale wherein young Princess Amma struggles with a problem that will resonate with lots of families: she wets the bed and is constantly fretting about so doing. The Queen, the King, and the palace staff all have ridiculous suggestions: eating dry toast just before bedtime to soak up all the pee, sleeping with lemons beneath her pillow, and putting feather dusters by the loo so that the princess can “giggle all her pee out before she goes to bed.” Needless to say none of these work: the princess’s worries remain and she wakes to a wet bed every morning.

Fortunately wise Grandma Grace is much more supportive in her approach; “Let’s take our time. Let’s be steady. / She’ll stop when she is good and ready.” is what she urges.

One morning having shooed the other adults out of Princess Amma’s bedroom, Grandma gives her a bubble bath, then sits beside the child and with an encouraging smile tells her, ““My darling Amma, a little bit of pee will NEVER come between you and me.” That evening Grandma Grace snuggles beside her granddaughter and together they let their imaginations grow into magical stories

after which Amma is lulled into slumberland by her Grandma’s calming singing. Come the morning Amma’s bed is to her delight, dry. The palace residents are surprised. other than Grandma Grace, of course; she knows that Amma’s journey to dry nights has just begun and that eventually it will become the norm.

This is a delightfully whimsical, lighthearted way to approach a tricky, often embarrassing issue for younger children, the humour and fantasy nature of which should help make it easier to cope with. Juanita Londoño Gaviria’s textured illustrations are splendidly expressive and convey the changing mood of the story well throughout. I love the portrayal of the supportive relationship of Grandma Grace towards Amma: just what any child in a similar situation needs.