Going for a sea bath

PreS-Gr 1-Leanne does not have the standard tub toys. She bathes with real turtles, eels, clown fish, and sea horses. Her dad delivers them to her footed bathtub after she complains about her boring bath-time. Each time he runs to the beach behind their house, he returns with a successive number of animals. The tub becomes too full when 10 octopuses are dropped in, so the dad and the daughter have a sea bath outside in the ocean. The humor in this story is reminiscent of Robert Munsch's writing. It's over-the-top but heartfelt, and the bright cartoon art is a hoot. Seeing all of the creatures of different sizes, textures, and colors in the tub is anything but boring. VERDICT A fun addition for those looking for new bathtime or numbers books.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Young Leanne's bathtime turns anything but boring once her father starts bringing in tub buddies from the sea. Leanne's continuing complaints that there's nothing to play with send her father scampering outside to bring back one turtle, two eels, three clownfish, and so on. But by the time 10 "octopi" have been wedged in, it's time to think outside the tub. So down to the shore go dad and daughter (both white): "The waves were wonderful. The sun was superb. The sand was sublime. Leanne said, A sea bath is the most fun of all!' " Delisle renders both human and animal figures in her colorful, increasingly crowded cartoon scenes with reasonable accuracy (Leanne is bare, but she is artfully fig-leafed throughout) and great animation. Let carping critics complain about the hazards of bathing with sea urchins and live fish, not to mention the whole salt water-vs.-fresh situationyoung viewers will see the animals enjoying themselves as much as Leanne and her father are, laugh at the octopus draped over the toilet reading "The Little Mermaid" and other visual jokes, and take pleasure in the whole silly, playful premise. And to quell any lingering worries, a final wordless scene shows the animals all scurrying back to the sea. Bathtub fun, warm father-daughter interaction, a bit of exposure to sea lifeand opportunities aplenty for counting, too. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.