Review: Animal Baths

Animal Baths

Written and Illustrated by Bob Barner

Publication date: 2011
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 978-1-4521-0056-2

Summary/Back cover:
Discover how all kinds of animals bathe in this playful exploration of bath time in the animal kingdom! Learn how tiny shrimp aid eels in keeping their teeth squeaky clean, and how schools of fish help sharks stay spic and span. Young readers will recognize their own bath time habits, and will love splashing and playing along in their own imaginative way. Simple rhyming text and vibrant, colorful collages by award-winning author and artist Bob Barner make this book ideal for the youngest readers and bathers!

Review:
This book is a sweet wee book, but nothing overly special - it has gentle rhyming text, gorgeous illustrations rendered from cut paper, ribbon and pastel, and a great double-page summary at the end that gives reluctant bathers a way to include animal bathtime ways into their own bath.

However, despite all this, the story somehow just strikes me as a "Meh, it's OK" sort of book - there's nothing wrong with it at all, but it doesn't really 'pop' as a story that's a particular keeper. Maybe it's just me!

If nothing else, do get this book for the illustrations - they really have been beautifully created - simple and uncluttered, but obviously a lot of work has gone into getting them just right. Watch for the facial expression on the littlest bear as he scratches his mud and ticks off against a tree!

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review written by Bronwyn