THE TREASURE BATH

In this wet and wordless adventure, a button-nosed little boy makes a cake with his mother, gets messy and needs a bath. He sulks, his dream of cake dissapointingly deferred. But his bath proves more interesting than he thought when a few fish leap around and draw his attention underneath the bubbly surface. The boy discovers a magical sea world and a map that leads him to a treasure chest. Then, in a humourous twist, he sees the chest is not filled with “treasure,” but shampoo. After an orange octopus gives him a good wash, he finds his mother waiting at the surface with a towel and eventually that piece of just-baked cake. Though some readers might feel a bit let down by finding only bath products in the chest, the cake makes up for it and so does Andreasen’s cuddly, expressive artwork. The visual narrative is clear enough for the very young, yet complex enough for slightly older audiences. A playful bedtime treat, especially for those too fidgety for text-heavy tales. (Picture book. 2-5)