This Bathe the Cat book written by Alice B. McGinty and illustrated by David Roberts is my new very favorite book. Mom received the book for free in consideration for a book review and it was an instant success. We read it every night and sometimes three times in a row. I just love that sneaky cat.
The Bathe the Cat book is about a family that has to rush to do its chores before grandma comes over and there’s a naughty family cat that does not want to take a bath. As Dad and Papa (the two dads in the book) read their list of things to do off the refrigerator, the cat doesn’t like it when he hears he has to have a bath. So, when no one is looking, he rearranges the magnetic letters on the fridge and the words get scrambled up. It’s so much nonsense and so much fun and silliness; I can’t get enough. The illustrations are super fun to look at too. Like, when the cat moves words around and puts “vacuum the cat,” all you see is the cat’s tail with its hair standing up as he realizes what he just made the letters on the fridge say he should be vacuumed! Eek! The first few times we read the book I kept repeating back what was said. I couldn’t believe the things that cat put on the fridge. Mop the baby? Scrub the fishes? What?!
The fishes was the only part that my parents didn’t love. Every. single. time. that they read the word fishes they would remind me that whether it’s one fish or many fish, I should still say fish and not fishes. They told me fishes kept with the rhyme of the book and made sense but (and here we go again) whether it’s one fish or many fish, always say fish not fishes.
Other than this, my parents totally loved this book. They liked that it took me a second to pick up that this family had two dads, instead of a dad and a mom. They also liked that I asked about it after seeing it in the book. In addition to this family having two men, the children had different skin colors. We talked about how families look different and that’s what makes everyone’s family unique. Mom liked how we were able to talk about so many things that she thought were subtly introduced, like the LGBTQ-family friendly nature of this book, as well as the interracial family aspect. She also liked the rainbow illustrations that were carefully placed throughout the book. She said those are a symbol of pride in the gay community. I didn’t really understand what mom meant but I really liked the rainbows too.
This book has a bouncy rhyme and it’s just so so funny. I like that in between the nonsense you see the cat move the magnetic letters. I liked pointing and naming the letters. I also really liked that they look like alphabet letters I have on my fridge.
I think this book about giving a cat a bath is going to be one of your favorites too!
Buy the Book on Amazon or Buy the Book on BookShop
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BATHE THE CAT BOOK ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOLERS (all free!)
Trace the Words: Write each word and then decide in all silliness, what would you do to the cat!
Teamwork Game for Kids: Help kiddos practice working together as a team with this fun game!
Connect the Dots Cat: to create your very own dot to dot cat! Then use it as a free cat coloring page!
TALKING POINTS FOR THIS BATHE THE CAT BOOK:
- What was your favorite part of Bathe the Cat
- Why is the family in a rush?
- Why don’t the chores make any sense?
- Why is the cat moving the letters around?
- What was the silliest part of this book?
- Who is in charge in this family?
- Does this family overall look similar or different to yours?
- Now think a little loner: can you name two ways this family might be similar to yours and two ways it might be different?
- Did you think the chores would be completed in time for Grandma Marge?
- Do you think the cat got what it really wanted in the end? What did the cat want?
- What’s the right word to use when you want to say four fish — it it fish or fishes?
- Is there anything specific about this book that you’d like to talk about?
- Is there anything in this book that you didn’t understand?
USEFUL INFO FOR GROWNUPS
- Book: Bathe the Cat
- Written by: Alice B. McGinty
- Illustrated by: David Roberts
- Age Range: 3 to 5
- Paperback edition: 48 pages
- Publisher: Chronicle Books (February 8, 2022)
- ISBN-13: 978-1452142708
I hope that this Bathe the Cat book brings much love and laughter your home!
