The Saddest Toilet in the World

In a cheeky and hilarious picture book, author Sam Apple and illustrator Sam Ricks share a silly story about the potty-training experience…from the toilet’s point of view!

Danny would sit anywhere and everywhere: a comfy couch, a bean bag chair, his mom’s lap, a playground swing.

The one place Danny wouldn’t sit?

The toilet.

When the pain of rejection becomes too much, the toilet does what any self-respecting toilet would do: He leaves home.

In Sam Apple’s rollicking children’s book debut, with illustrations by Sam Ricks, it’s boy vs. bowl in a hilarious contest of wills.

Sam Apple teaches creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and is the author of American Parent and Schlepping Through the Alps. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, the Financial Times Magazine, and the NewYorker.com, among many other publications. A native Texan, Apple now lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children: Isaac, Lila, and Nina.

Sam Ricks grew up creating stories about toxic fruitcakes and peanut butter-snatching aliens. He is the illustrator of several books for young readers, including The Data Set series. Sam earned his BA from Brigham Young University and his MA from the University of Baltimore. He is a founding member of Cotopaxi: Gear For Good. He, his wife, and their five children live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit Sam at SamRicks.com.