Iris Wang, M.D., is on a mission to help people struggling with constipation before it becomes a long-term problem, and she's doing it with rhymes and humor in her recently published children's book "Boo Can't Poo." Dr. Wang shares how her patient interactions inspired her to write the book and the important lessons she hopes kids and their parents learn from it.

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For the past month, Xiao Jing (Iris) Wang, M.D., has been receiving text messages, emails and photos from family, friends, patients and strangers about a topic that most people avoid: going number two.

However, for Dr. Wang, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic, the chatter is welcome. That's because they're responding to her recently published children's book, "Boo Can't Poo."

The book uses lighthearted potty humor to educate children on the proper way to poop and techniques to manage constipation before it becomes a long-term problem. It was inspired by Dr. Wang's interactions with patients struggling with constipation and came to be during a tumultuous time of navigating potty training her toddler son.  

The story follows Boo, a constipated ghost, on his quest to get his bowels moving with the help of his ghostly family.

"Boo Can't Poo" is available for purchase through Mayo Clinic Press. Proceeds from book sales are invested in furthering medical research and education at Mayo Clinic.

The News Center team connected with Dr. Wang to learn more about her inspiration for the book, what it was like working with Mayo Clinic Press to publish it, and the difference she hopes it will make. Read what she had to say below.

What inspired you to write "Boo Can't Poo"?

I first thought about writing this book while interacting with patients at Mayo Clinic. As a fellow and then as a new senior associate consultant, I saw many patients suffering from constipation due to various issues, including pelvic floor dysfunction. During my fellowship, I did a rotation with our pelvic floor physical therapy team. It was only then that I learned how a person is supposed to poop.

Each time I shared this information with my patients, they were surprised that no one had ever taught them this. I also wondered why I had to be a GI fellow to learn this information and frequently joked with my patients that I should write a book to normalize this sensitive topic.

At the same time, I was a mom to a toddler navigating potty training. As I read to him each night, I noticed that children's books had evolved to cover complex topics (like general chemistry for babies), but there were few books teaching kids how to poop beyond the basic instructions about doing it on a potty. So I saw an opportunity and decided to stop joking about writing a book and do it. 

What need or gap are you trying to address with this book?

I'm trying to normalize talking about pooping and issues such as constipation. These are such common human experiences — almost everyone has dealt with constipation at some point or other in their life. I especially want to help kids feel comfortable talking about pooping so that if something is wrong, they share their concerns with their parents.

Unfortunately, we see patients who have had long-term problems with constipation, diarrhea or even blood in the stool but feel unable to talk about it due to the stigma surrounding the topic. I'd love to break the poo taboo.

Also, I want to address the lack of knowledge about how to properly poop that goes beyond expecting kids to know how to do it naturally. While most do, some may face chronic issues as adults due to a lack of this understanding.

What lessons do you hope "Boo Can't Poo" will teach children and their parents?

I hope "Boo Can't Poo" provides lifestyle-based education on managing constipation so kids and their parents have tools to prevent it from becoming a long-term problem. I hope it shares the benefits of fiber, water and exercise, and that we are not supposed to strain when pooping — it's supposed to just come out​! (I learned this from the pelvic floor physical therapy team after 20 years of school and five years of post-graduate training.)

Describe the process of working with Mayo Clinic Press to publish the book.

I had a truly eye-opening experience with nonacademic publishing. I faced a lot of rejection when trying to find a publisher, and felt like I'd won the lottery when Mayo Clinic Press Children's reached out and agreed to publish my book. I am so grateful to Dani Valadares and Jenny Krueger for giving Boo a chance.

It took longer than I expected (18–24 months), and I had to learn a lot about marketing and public relations. I've been lucky to get support from author friends and have been able to promote my book through local media outlets, such as Post Bulletin and MPR, and on various online podcasts. So far, there's been great interest.

What has been the initial feedback you've gotten since publishing the book?

One of the greatest joys I've experienced in the past couple of weeks has been receiving text messages, emails, and even portal messages with photos of little ones holding "Boo Can't Poo." I've loved hearing that they want to keep reading it, whether their parents want to or not. One parent even tried to hide it because she didn't want to keep reading about colon walls, but her child wouldn't stop finding it.

Even more special is when kids have shared with their parents things like "sometimes I strain like Boo" or reaching for vegetables saying, "Boo says I should eat these to poo."

I cannot describe the fulfillment and joy these stories bring me. I hope to reach as many kids as I can to promote healthy poop habits and break the poo taboo!