Whale in the Bath by Kylie Westaway and Tom Jellett
| Whale in the Bath by Kylie Westaway and Tom Jellett | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Zoe Morris
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| Summary: Bathtime becomes a bit tricky when there's a whale in the tub, but can Bruno get anyone to listen to his concerns? | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: January 2015 |
| Publisher: Allen and Unwin | |
| ISBN: 978-1743318584 | |
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It’s bath time, which is often not a favourite time of day. Really, it’s a sign that the fun is over and it’s time for bath, maybe a story, and then bed, at least for the little ones. The grown ups get to stay up later. Hmpf. But Bruno is not moaning too much about getting in the bath, though you get the impression that’s a battle he’s had, and lost, in the past. The problem is…there’s a whale in the bath. And whales are pretty big so there’s not much room for Bruno to hop in beside him.
Bruno is an imaginative boy, in my eyes, and probably a boy who cries wolf in his parents’ eyes. See, in the past he’s claimed to have spotted a bear under his bed and a walrus in the back yard, so his new protests that there’s a whale in the bath are taken with a pinch of salt.
There is NOTHING more infuriating that not being believed when you’re telling the truth – this is something I still believe as an adult, so I really feel for Bruno. But…you have to hand it to the whale too. He’s got a good situation going on, access to nice warm water, soap, bubble bath, flannels. You don’t get things like that in the wild ocean. It’s no wonder he’s not going anywhere. He’s having a whale of a time!
This is a fun book about a very unusual bath time, rather reminiscent of an unusual meal time in The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr The pictures are brilliant, full of colour and detail, they really come to life on the page, and there’s lots of repetition too as Bruno tells everyone in his family about the obstacle to his bathing, to no avail. He’s not mean about it but he eventually has to tell the whale that he’s had his fun, and it’s his turn now. But can he convince the big beast to vacate the tub? The ending is brilliant and I cheered along with Bruno. Success at last!
I’d like to thank the publishers for sending us this brilliant read. It’s just a perfect picture book that you know will stand the test of time and it’s the kind older siblings will pretend not to be interested in but secretly love too. Massively recommended.
For more imaginative fun, The Way To The Zoo by John Burningham is brilliant.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Whale in the Bath by Kylie Westaway and Tom Jellett at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Whale in the Bath by Kylie Westaway and Tom Jellett at Amazon.com.
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