Originally published in 1985, this picture book has won numerous awards including a Caldecott and the School Library Journal’s Best Book of the Year. King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub is perfect for PreK through grade school kids and is the perfect length for bedtime.
Book Authority’s Take: In this delightful story, the king refuses to leave his bathtub and rule the kingdom. “Beauty aside, this also has a panache and sly wit that will please children and their parents, who will be called on to peruse the book again and again.”–Booklist
The 7 Year Old’s Take: King Bidgood is a really funny book. My favorite part is the end when all the water empties out of the tub and the king has no clothes, and my brother loves the part where they fight with ships in the bathtub. My grandma bought us this book for us and we read it a lot at bedtime.
The Mom’s Take: King Bidgood loves to bathe and doesn’t want to leave the bathtub. Sound familiar to any parents out there? Since he is king, he invites his court (and of course they accept) to join him for daily activities like feasting, dancing and fishing, in his large bathtub. Summertime reading at our home is all about fun. This silly story and its amazingly detailed illustrations is one we all love to read over and over again. For my 2 year old he picks out items like the fish in the drawing. My 5 year old and 7 year old look a little deeper and read into the character’s expressions. Who seems happy, scared or mad about being in the bathtub?
* Pictures provided by Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
