Elle and the Great Potty Patrol

Elle is terrified of the loud, deep potties in her house, convinced they might swallow her up. With the help of her eight-legged toy octopus, she sets out to test every seat's safety. Through her own clever experiments, Elle overcomes her fear and proudly conquers every potty in the house.

Elle loved her cozy bathroom, especially the sweet smell of the lavender soap. But she did not love the big white potty. To Elle, it looked cold, deep, and far too loud. 'Too deep, too cold, too deep!' Elle whispered, squeezing her knitted octopus, Barnaby, tightly against her yellow overalls.

Papa hung a green sticker chart on the wall. 'Shall we try the little red potty today?' Papa asked gently. Elle stood tall and puffed out her chest. 'Wiggle-waggle, I am ready!' she declared. She sat on the red seat in the living room and waited, but her tummy felt tight, and nothing happened at all.

Later, Elle tried the blue potty upstairs. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed, but a sudden loud gurgle in the pipes made her jump. She scrambled off so fast she knocked over her bin of bath toys. Splash! Water and plastic ducks flooded the floor. 'Too loud, too cold, too deep!' she cried, big tears forming.

Elle hid in her cardboard fort, burying her face in Barnaby's soft blue wool. Papa crawled in, bringing a mug of warm, sweet apple cider. 'The potties swallow things up, Papa,' Elle whispered, tasting the sweet cider. 'What if I go swish-gone too?'

Elle looked down at Barnaby's eight floppy legs. Suddenly, she had an idea. 'We need a potty patrol,' she said. She placed Barnaby over a small green plastic cup. His blue legs draped over the sides, holding him perfectly steady. 'Look, Papa! Barnaby has strong legs. He cannot fall in!'

Elle marched back to the bathroom. She sat on the red potty and held her own legs wide and strong, just like Barnaby. She hummed a little wiggle-waggle song to relax her tummy. With a soft plop, she did it! 'I did not fall in!' she cheered, her pigtails bobbing with joy.

'Now for the rest of the patrol!' Elle declared. That afternoon, she visited the blue potty, the green potty at Grandma's house, and even the big white toilet with her special booster seat. Every single time, her strong legs kept her safe. She proudly pressed a shiny star sticker onto each gold circle.

With the final star glowing on her crown chart, Elle set Barnaby gently on the dry marble counter. She rubbed her hands together under the warm tap, watching the lavender soap bubbles grow bigger and bigger. 'Wiggle-waggle,' she hummed, splashing the warm water.