Max is a detective who likes to "help kids with their problems"—this case takes on bedwetting.
Max relates to Billy's issue of often waking up in a wet bed; he did not outgrow bedwetting until he "was eleven years old!" The fictional story allows Max to carefully take Billy and readers through this easy-to-read informational book about how to stay dry at night. Bennett strikes the right balance between story and self-help to provide a title whose tone and careful explanations both parents and kids will appreciate. The book puts the problem in context: "five million kids in the United States...go to bed...not knowing if they will wake up wet or dry." What follows is a clear plan ably complemented by Gerrell's superb cartoon illustrations of Max and Billy on the case as they investigate the digestive system, how a bladder works and ways to better signal the brain to get up and go. At the back of the book there is extra information about pooping and its impact on bedwetting, a word search about proper foods to eat and a "Q&A About Bedwetting (Just for Parents!)"
Even if there were not an alarming dearth of titles on this subject aimed at kids, this would stand out as a most thorough, highly readable resource. (Blended nonfiction. 6-10)
