TO THE TUB

by Peggy Perry Anderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1996

To the tub,"" instructs Joe's amiable father. Joe, a frog, is not averse, at least not openly, but he needs a few toys to accompany him: a pail and boat, a rubber octopus, and a beach ball, for starters. Joe's dad urges him bathward as Joe heaps his father higher and higher with tubside entertainments, until he stumbles and offloads the cargo into a mud puddle. Well, a mud bath is better than no bath. Suitable goofiness, in spite of less-than-felicitous rhyming (""Instead of dirty-green and slimy, you'll be squeaky-clean and shiny!"") keeps this story of maneuverings sprightly and humorous, as do the ebullient cartoony drawings, which aptly demonstrate the good-natured parry and thrusts that mark the lighter moments of parent-child discourse. Does Joe get the bath? He's last seen outside the tub, scrubbing his father's back.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996

ISBN: 0618138447

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories: CHILDREN'S