TUB TOYS

As the tub fills, a pop-eyed, rubber-limbed lad dashes madly about the house, gathering waterproof toys: “I throw one ducky in my tubby. / He’s the only ducky I own. / I add his windup froggy friend / so he won’t be all alone.” That’s just the beginning—but all the eagerness is deceptive, for by the time his parents run out of patience, “the tub is crammed so full of toys / there’s not a spot for me!” Perched atop a pile of sudsy playthings, he doesn’t seem particularly disappointed—no King Bidgood he. Computer-generated and wildly exaggerated, the art is as goofy as the concept. Daddy becomes a shark, Mom, an octopus, so when she points her finger, well, it has suckers on it along with a pearl bracelet. Eventually, when the boy has run out of toys, she produces her funnel, it’s “the best!” The final two scenes include his bare-bottomed march up his fire-engine ladder, set at an angled perspective to cover two pages. And when he’s arrived at the top, readers will have to wait while listeners pick out everything they’ve seen collected, noting the original duck nesting in the boy’s hair. Pair this energetic children’s debut with other tales of young procrastinators like Peggy Rathmann’s 10 Minutes Till Bedtime (1998). (Picture book. 6-8)