Splish Splash, I Was Taking a Bath

When I look for bathtime-themed books, I tend to look more broadly than I do for other topics.  Not all bathtime books are interesting/suitable enough for a toddler storytime, so I include books that only have a small mention of a bath.  These three books round out a bathtime storytime nicely:

I believe I’ve mentioned Big Smelly Bearin a previous post, but it ties in very well with a bathtime storytime.  Big Smelly Bear has a terrific itch, but refuses to take a bath.  He tries every imaginable way to relieve his itch, but to no avail.  Big Fluffy Bear suggests a bath, yet Big Smelly Bear insists that a bath is not necessary.  A shouting match ensues (you can play this up to great effect), until Big Smelly Bear reluctantly takes a dip into the pond.  Although he enjoys it, he declares that he won’t ever take another bath.  However, he occasionally creeps off to the pond for a surreptitious swim.  Big Smelly Bear is one of the longer picture books I’ve read to my young toddlers, and they enjoyed it very much.  I usually don’t select books with an abundance of conversation; although Big Smelly Bear has more conversation than the books I normally choose, the fact that the conversation is only between two bears makes it a pleasure to read aloud.

Lisa Kopper’s Daisy books are delightful read alouds for toddlers, and Daisy Knows Best is no exception.  Daisy and the kids are romping through another fun-packed day; the babies are old enough to imitate Daisy, which makes for very amusing illustrations.  The babies (both canine and human) “open” the mail (we see everyone chewing on the mail), “set” the table (ending in a great mess), and “clean up” the garbage.  As you can imagine, this results in some very messy babies.  Finally, the much harried human mother scoops them up for some very needed baths.  The illustrations of the babies getting into all sorts of mischief are very cute; this has enough of a storyline to interest older toddlers, but younger toddlers will also enjoy the antics.

Young children will definitely empathize with a bunny that would rather play than take a bath in Little Bunny’s Bathtime! Although his siblings happily hop to the bathtub, Little Bunny continues to play.  When he sees his siblings happily splish-splashing away, he feels a little left out.  He hides (rather noisily) behind the towels and in the laundry basket, and watches his mother dry his siblings.  Feeling rather neglected, he splashes into the bathtub and informs his mother that he is ready for his bath.  Little Bunny gets his own special bath and attention time from his mother; meanwhile, the other bunnies get into a terrific mess in the kitchen.  The soft pastels add to the gentle warmth of this story; this would also be a good Mother’s Day themed storytime.

If you’re doing a bathtime storytime, don’t forget to do the Bathtime Pokey!  It’s the same thing as the Hokey Pokey, except you “do the Bathtime Pokey and you scrub that hand/leg/arm/head clean, that’s what it’s all about!” You can adapt the Hokey Pokey to any theme, anywhere, and the children never tire of the Hokey Pokey. 

Books Mentioned:

Johnson, Jane.  Little Bunny’s Bathtime!  Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales, 2004. 

Kopper, Lisa.  Daisy Knows Best.  New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 1999. 

Teckentrup, Britta.  Big Smelly Bear.  New York: Sterling, 2007.