The agony! The ecstasy!

Running desperately for the goal, and responding instantly to urgent directives. The exhilaration when it all comes together in resounding success!

The glory of football season? Not in this case. I am referring to potty training. On the one hand, a parent or caregiver can look forward to liberation from diapers. On the other hand, there may be difficult times ahead, filled with accidents and the phrase "Do you need to go potty?" anxiously uttered a thousand times a day.

I have good news! At least you and your child have good books about potty training to read now. During the potty training process, children become understandably obsessed with all things potty-related: going to the potty, underwear, the potty itself, and, of course, what goes into the potty. While authors have been catering to the need for books about these topics for decades, this millennium has seen an explosion of books for children about bodily functions that are truly hilarious, as well as useful. So if you have or know a child who is potty training or will be soon, or if you are simply looking for an excuse to read funny books about bodily functions, check out some of these gems.

First, a look at the throne itself. My all-time favorite toilet book is "Flush: An Ode to Toilets" by Charlie "The Noiseguy" Williams. Williams writes a book about the different types of flushes toilets make. This is a fun book to read at any time, but you can use it particularly to prepare kids for some scarier toilets, such as the airplane potty, or the potties with the ominous electric eyes.

One of the funniest books about potty training to come out in the last few years is "Time to Pee!" by Mo Willems. Using fantastic illustrations, each page features a cadre of mice who help with a child's potty training, offering very serious (and, as a result, very funny) encouragement and direction of all kinds.

"Does a Pig Flush?" also involves animals in the plot, though in a different way. The author, Fred Ehrlich, shows where animals relieve themselves, and makes the crucial point at the end that people, unlike these animals, use potties. "Zoo Poo" by Richard Morgan follows a similar storyline, and also includes potty training tips for both parents and toddlers.

Do you have a little girl who loves princesses? Try combining royalty and potty training with "The Princess and the Potty" by Wendy Lewison, in which a king and queen despair over their daughter's refusal to use the potty. Don't worry - there's a happy ending!

A tough situation for new potty-users is the dreaded scenario in which a potty is not readily available. Try sharing "Who's in the Bathroom?" by Jeanne Willis, in which two boys who desperately need to use the facilities distract themselves from their plight by speculating about who could be taking so long in the bathroom. You will enjoy the surprising answer to this mystery.

In order to feed the underpants fixation, try "What Color Is Your Underwear?" by Sam Lloyd. Readers can lift flaps to see what color underwear various animals are wearing.

Finally, for those children interested in what actually goes into the potty, try the classics "Everyone Poops" by Taro Gomi, and "The Gas We Pass" by Shinta Cho. Finally, enjoy the story of "Manneken Pis" by Vladimir Radunsky, the legend of a Belgian boy who uses one of his bodily functions to stop a war.

So good luck and have fun. There are many more books to help you and your child through this process, so if you need additional or more specific suggestions, visit your local library.

Shannon Schinagl is children's librarian at the Delridge Library, 233-7292.