How do you take a bath?

Through simple rhyming facts about animals' grooming habits ("Polar bear scrubs her face with snow"), children are encouraged to bathe: "How do YOU take a bath? Do you lick from head to toe...?" Approachable mixed-media illustrations in soft pastel hues demonstrate the similarities and differences. The lack of distinction between bathing and other grooming habits and behaviors ("Pig wallows in the mud...") is somewhat confusing. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Everybody needs a bath sometimes, even hippos! But how do they manage it?McMullan offers a rhyming bathtime book that looks at all the different ways our animal friends keep themselves clean. From kittens licking themselves to monkey mamas combing through fur, all animals approach their cleaning routines differently. But what about those lovable little humans in our lives? They can't let fish nibble on them as turtles do or wallow in mud with the piggies! Kids will enjoy seeing pictures of animal favorites getting clean, but they will really laugh as they see children trying to bathe themselves in the same ways as their animal counterparts. Three different children are portrayed, of different gender and race presentations, giving many kids the opportunity to see themselves in the pages. The illustrations are bright, with a cartoonish feel to them, showing not only different animals, but their habitats as well. Both the animals and children are delightfully expressive, which brings everything to life. The rhymes sometimes feel a little clunky, but that's a small quibble in an otherwise charming book.A bedtime read-aloud that young kids and caregivers will have a ball with. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.