Dr. Annie's Bookshelf

A child psychologist's book recommendations for growth and healing

Enuresis

The books in this section are not about potty training but rather address elimination disorders. Enuresis is an elimination disorder that refers to repeated urination into a bed or clothing after a child is a developmental age of five years old and continence is expected. Importantly, if a child is regularly experiencing bedwetting or daytime accidents, it is imperative that a family speaks with a child’s pediatrician to rule out underlying medical concerns (e.g., urinary tract infections). Although enuresis is relatively common (5-10% of 5-year-olds), children often feel a lot of shame about it. This is particularly true as children get a bit older and have the opportunity to attend sleepovers and sleep-away camps. My primary goal for this section is to find books that destigmatize enuresis and help kids to realize that they’re not the only ones going through it, and secondarily to provide suggestions (e.g., using the bathroom throughout the day) to help children to reduce the frequency of accidents.

Raj’s Rule

(For the Bathroom at School)

Written by Lana Button
Illustrated by Hatem Aly
Age range: Preschool through 2nd grade.
Recommended for: This book addresses a common cause of accidents– a fear or reluctance to use the bathroom at school. In rhyming verse, Raj spells out all of the “rules” he has in order to make it through the day without using the bathroom (e.g., no juice, no cartwheels, no laughing). When he ends up having to use the bathroom at school, he realizes that it’s not so bad and that it allows him to have a lot more fun at school. This book could motivate a child to brave the school bathroom and be a start to conversations about bathroom-related exposures .
Evidence-Based Practices: Exposure
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Max Archer, Kid Detective

The Case of the Wet Bed

Written by Howard J. Bennett, MD
Illustrated by Spike Gerrell
Age range: Kindergarten through 4th grade.
Recommended for: Written by a pediatrician, this book is excellent for a child who experiences regular bed-wetting and who is feeling embarrassed or ashamed of this. It very effectively destigmatizes nocturnal enuresis (i.e., nighttime bed-wetting) with its cool kid detective protagonist who shares that he wet the bed until he was 11-years-old, and it provides a few tips for reducing frequency of bed-wetting.
Evidence-Based Practices: Psychoeducation
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