View source for The Bath Monster by Colin Boyd and Tony Ross

{{infobox2
|title=The Bath Monster
|sort=Bath Monster
|author=Colin Boyd and Tony Ross
|reviewer= Rachael Spencer
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= A great book for parents and kids alike, with an excellent premise and brilliantly carried out, I can see this being a popular choice for bedtime reading. Even if your children might not be too fond of the bath for a while afterwards...
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=32
|publisher=Anderson Press
|date=September 2015
|isbn=9781783442898
|website=
|video=
|aznuk=1783442891
|aznus=1783442891
|cover=1783442891
}}

It's not too often you come across such a nice, original idea in the picture book market these days, but this one about Jackson and his run ins with the Bath Monster is an absolute gem. It's a sturdy, entertaining story which I think will stay popular, age wise, for quite a broad span, keeping the whole family entertained. Who knows, maybe it'll encourage young boys and girls into their nightly baths too?

Jackson is a young boy who just loves to spend his time with his friend, getting filthy by playing in the mud or getting just a bit too into his games of football. Every night, his mum makes him have a bath, and Jackson agrees because really nobody wants to upset the Bath Monster, do they? The Bath Monster lives under your bath, eagerly awaiting his dinner of dirty bath water every night. But what would happen if Jackson didn't have a bath? What would the Bath Monster have for his dinner then? Jackson is about to find out, and so are you...

The Bath Monster really is an excellent book. Being the owner of a small boy myself, I can very much relate to the way Jackson is and just how dirty he gets! It's a fun idea for a story and it's executed ever so well, with both great storytelling and design. I think if I had a child who was already wary of bathtime, I might be inclined to give this book a miss until that phase was over, but only because it might make your bedtimes a little more difficult. Having said that,  to be honest, in our house it's worked the opposite way; my son is now desperate to get in the bath in order to give the Bath Monster his dinner of dirty water afterwards!

The illustrations are great, and Tony Ross's slightly chaotic style of drawings are perfectly suited to this story of a boy who is always busy, and always messy. I also really like the way that the words are placed on the page, often giving that wonderful little extra touch to a story which already has an awful lot going for it. Overall I would definitely recommend this book for kids who like a laugh with their stories, or a monster under their baths!

If you're a fan of Tony Ross books and really fancy a laugh then you could do with taking a look at [[The Slightly Annoying Elephant by David Walliams and Tony Ross]].

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[[Category:Colin Boyd]]
[[Category:Tony Ross]]