Big Brown Bear wants to entice four "grimy" but stubborn cubs into the bath, and finds a wonderful way to accomplish his mission in this fresh twist on bathtime tales.
An inviting tub awaits: "Water, soap, and/ sponge are there./ The bath is ready./ Where are the bears?" A gentle rhyme introduces the cast: cobwebby Floppy Bear; mud-spattered Fuzzy Bear; Calico, whose fur is sweaty "from playing hard"; and Yellow Bear--"He's stinky and/ he doesn't care." The four cubs see the tub and "Big Brown Bear/ waiting to scrub," and they back away. " 'We don't want a bath,' they say." Sound familiar? David Walker uses acrylics like pastels, as he depicts an irresistible parade of toddler stand-ins tracking muddy paw prints hither and yon. Big Brown Bear "scoops up one/ and then two more./ He grabs the last./ He's got all four!" The cubs and their caretaker erupt in a giggly embrace then wriggle away, leaving Big Brown Bear all "smudges and smears." So what does he do? He "jumps in the tub... and starts to scrub." Walker portrays the big bear's infectious enthusiasm, and the cubs, one at a time, want to join in the fun, their rear paws flailing as they climb over the side of the tub.
Parenteau and Walker close with a simple math lesson: "Now all five bears/ are clean again," as Big Brown Bear lovingly wraps each of his charges in a fluffy towel. Guaranteed to break down resistance to bathtime. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness