Around the World in a Bathtub: Bathing All over the Globe

PreS-Gr 2—While some youngsters take to bath time like fish to water, others struggle with the ritual and need a bit of encouragement and coaxing. This appealing and enlightening nonfiction picture book serves as a resource for universalizing the bath time experience and making connections among different cultures around the world through descriptions of their specific bathing traditions. The work starts with a young boy refusing to get into the tub and proceeds to discuss, through spare, lyrical text, how children from all over the globe sometimes resist bathing. Archer's bold, bright oil paint and collage art depicts each custom with engaging detail. For each spread, there is also a translation of how to say "no, no" and "yes, yes" in the corresponding language, which will make for a fun, educational read-aloud experience. A list of people who shared their expertise is included in the acknowledgements, which points to careful research, and a "Bathing Around the Globe" section at the end provides a bit more content about each bathing tradition and may spark conversation and inspire readers to seek out more material.