Review by Booklist Review
Baths can be fun at least until others decide to crowd in. Ellie the elephant isn't happy, but readers will enjoy the silly antics as a crocodile, flamingo, tiger, and mouse dive in, splash, and interact with one another in frolicsome (and sometimes annoying!) ways. Everything about this book is child friendly the subject matter, the fun of a bath (no reluctance here), and the simple text that includes fun sounds that advance the story arc: eeek! BBRRR! aahh! Fans of Eric Carle's books will appreciate the attractive collage illustrations that give movement and life to the antics. Kids will also enjoy the opportunity to actively engage in creating the action of the story as the author invites readers to shake the pages, making it seem as though they have produced the waves on the next spread. (The participation is limited to the early pages and may cause some disappointment when the engagement doesn't continue throughout.) There are lots of animals to look at here, but it just might be the consistent presence of the yellow rubber ducky that charms most.--Ching, Edie Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Following in the interactive footsteps of Hervé Tullet's Press Here (Chronicle, 2011), this digitally illustrated story encourages readers to assist Ellie the elephant at bathtime. After readers tilt the book from side to side to create some waves, a cascade of creatures progressively invades the tub. When best efforts to shake them out fail, Ellie sucks all the water into her trunk. The chilled flamingo, tiger, alligator, and mouse move on, leaving the elephant to refill the tub and submerge with only her rubber duck for company. Large cartoon spreads use crayon texture and deftly convey the wave movement. VERDICT This visually splendid title should prove to be an engaging pre-bath read-aloud.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When Ellie the elephant finds her bath getting crowded with other animals, she sucks all the water out so they will leave. While Teckentrup's mixed-media illustrations are appealing, the text is confusing; children are instructed to turn or tilt the book to make things happen, but the results don't quite measure up to similar titles such as Tullet's Press Here. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Will Ellie be able to relax in the bath? In the opening spread, Ellie the elephant sits in water that fills the bottom half of both pages. Taking a cue from Herv Tullet's Press Here (2011), Teckentrup's text invites readers to "shake the book from side to side, then turn the page to see what happens..."; the page turn reveals Ellie swimming through waves. She's accompanied only by a rubber duck, and subsequent page turns show the water tilting to the left and right in response to the text's prompts. But when Crocodile appears and Ellie is distressed, the text directs the reader to tell it to "get out." The story's pattern is broken when Crocodile remains on the next spread, and Flamingo joins the bath. The ensuing plot structure is reminiscent of stories like Jan Brett's The Mitten (1989), but instead of an ending in which the crowding itself results in the water overflowing or some such resolution, Ellie takes the water into her trunk. The now-chilly animals leave, and once she's alone, Ellie lets the water out of her trunk. An unfortunate closing line prompts the implied child readers to take baths too, thus imposing a prescriptive spirit on the otherwise playful text and appealing digital illustrations of the animal characters. All in all, some good, clean reading fun. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
