A Whale in the Bathtub
A Whale in the Bathtub
By: Kylie Westaway
Illustrated by: Tom Jellett
I got this book in Sioux Falls this summer while I was visiting some friends for a spontaneous weekend. We have a few mandatory stops—Oh My Cupcakes!, the Fryn’ Pan and Barnes & Noble. I foolishly thought I could visit a bookstore without buying anything.
Different days and trips bring different danger zones—this time my downfall came by way of children’s books.
When I picked this one up off the shelf and flipped through the pages, I just had to tuck it in the crook of my elbow. It came home with me for three primary reasons.
1. I love a good retelling of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” It may not look like it on the surface, but that’s what it is at its core. This boy is supposed to take a bath, but he can’t because there is a whale in his tub! When he reports this strange dilemma, his sister doesn’t believe him because he’s imagined and claimed other similar incidents. Nobody believes him.
2. The whale is funny. Like. Really funny. He wants soap that is krill scented and claims the tub isn’t big enough. Nevermind that the ocean would be plenty big enough for him. In the end he gives the boy a “shower.” You and I both know that it’s not sanitary, and that the boy really needs a bath now (which becomes obvious when the boy’s mom points out that he smells fishy).
3. The illustrations are wonderful. I never thought I would be a sucker for illustrations. But the older I’ve gotten and the more I’ve interacted with kids while reading—illustrations can make or break a story sometimes. If the illustrator hasn’t fully grasped the author’s story, you can see that as a reader the two versions of storytelling don’t mesh. These illustrations, I felt, captured the spirit of the story perfectly.
It’s a fun story, and one I think could be used in a classroom and at home. This classic story idea like “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” being retold in a new way is one of my favorite things, and I think this is an excellent example.
