Square Books Jr. hosts potty-training storytime with local authors
Square Books Jr. brought Oxford families downtown Saturday for a potty-training storytime with Michael Henry and Marshall Ramsey, then a signing at 111 Courthouse Square.
Square Books Jr. turned 111 Courthouse Square into a family stop Saturday morning, with a potty-training storytime that gave Oxford parents, grandparents and caregivers a practical reason to head downtown. Author Michael Henry and illustrator Marshall Ramsey joined the children’s bookstore for a reading of Tommy the Lonely Toilet, followed by a signing.
The 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. event fit neatly into Square Books Jr.’s regular children’s storytime schedule, which the store describes as a Wednesday-and-Saturday program geared toward infants through 3- or 4-year-olds. That made the gathering feel less like a one-off promotion and more like the kind of familiar, low-key outing many Lafayette County families already build into their weekends.
Tommy the Lonely Toilet is built around a milestone many parents know well. Its playful premise treats potty training as a humorous, heartwarming step toward saying goodbye to diapers and gaining confidence on the toilet. The format gave the morning a storytime energy that was both entertaining for young children and useful for the adults guiding them through the process.
That practical angle is part of why the event resonated. The American Academy of Pediatrics says toilet training tends to work best when a child can sense the urge to go, understand what that feeling means and verbalize the need for help. Its readiness signs include staying dry for about two hours, noticing when they are about to pee or poop, following simple instructions and wanting to wear big-kid underwear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most children are not able to toilet train until about ages 2 to 3.
Marshall Ramsey’s presence also gave the event local weight. His public biography describes him as an award-winning editorial cartoonist, author, columnist and broadcaster based in Oxford, a name that draws attention well beyond a standard bookstore appearance. Paired with Henry, the morning offered families both a children’s read-aloud and a chance to see a well-known Oxford creative figure at work.
The timing placed the event inside a busy downtown calendar that also included the Oxford Juneteenth Festival and the Oxford & Lafayette Public Library Puzzle Pandemonium Tournament. For Square Books, Jr., the morning underscored what the children’s store has done since opening in 2003: give Oxford a downtown gathering place where books, parenting and community activity meet in one short, accessible stop.
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