This flight of fancy soars above ordinary bath books. The adventure starts with “Stan and Stella in the big red tub. I splash! You splash!” But it doesn’t stop there. Next to join the bubbly fun is Dog, who dives right in. In rhyming repetition, this energetic tale builds with every page: “But who’s that roaring at the door?” Lion sloshes in, only to be joined by duck and turtle and many more. But not even this capacious tub can hold all the bath buddies, and when Hippopotamus joins the clean team, the tub sloshes right out of the bathroom, down the stairs and into the great outdoors. As the red tub acts more like a spaceship than a bathtub, the bathers take a trip beyond expectation. Parents and kids will have fun finding the inspiration for the fantastic visitors strewn about the bathroom. Reynolds’s artwork uses bold outlines to contain sparklingly bright watercolors that enhance the character’s joyful expressions and lively action. Jarman has created an imaginative tale of good clean fun! (Picture book. 2-5)
