Voyage to Bedtime! Off to See the Sea by Nikki Grimes

"BATHTIME," I WHISPER IN YOUR EAR."

GAMETIME! thinks the toddler child, scuttling to hide beside the sofa where dad grins and points a thumb to Mom, on the trail of the little escapee, who stifles his giggles, hand over mouth, as he begins the nightly game on the way to bedtime. Little bedtime deniers are common and mom, already in her comfy clothes, is up for the game!

And Mama knows just the right metaphor to entice the tot.

"COME!" I COO.

"BATHTIME IS FULL OF MAGIC!"

The flowing faucet becomes a tropical waterfall that fills the lake and the child slip-slides into the soap-bubbly waters.

"MONSTERS AHEAD!"

A rubber ducky rises from the deeps, but he bobs away as the child's feet kick up giant waves to deflect the yellow monster and they...

"...CRASH ON THE SHORE... ... THE FLOOR!"

Big shiny bubbles bounce into the air, reflecting their faces, as the tot dives into the water's depths. But Mama knows what he seeks and quickly, before he can make his move, she...

"...PULLS THE PLUG!"

With blubs and glubs the waters of the world swirl away as if by more bathtime magic, and despite the squeals, as Dad flies the toddler up, up, and away into the towel, there is that welcome sign of parental victory for yet another night.

"YOU... YAWN."

Parents know that bedtime can be a battle royale and/or a little bit of heaven, as Nikki Grimes' poetic story, Off to See the Sea (Soucebooks/Jabberwocky Books, 2021), reveals with great charm and skillful storytelling. The award-winning author is joined by artist Elizabeth Zenon, whose artful mixed-media illustrations will make even veteran parents remember and reminisce over the memories of a warm, sweet-smelling toddler's yawns and snuggles. Bathtime is magic, a magical transition toward sleep in a child's day, made memorable in this gentle story for parents and young children. Says Booklist, "This ebullient account of a common childhood experience bursts with love and universal appeal."

Splish Splash! She Was Taking a Bath: Eliose Takes a Bawth! by Hilary Knight

"Eloise!" says Nannie. "Please don't dawdle. I want you in and out of the tub on the dub, dub, double. Mr. Salamone is coming to tea."

Nannie is full of spit and polish.

Eloise pleads that she must finish washing her turtle, but Nannie pish poshes, and tut tuts at Eloise's excuses, explaining that Mr. Salamone is on a tight schedule preparing the grand ballroom for a fabulous charity masked ball that night, and orders her to reappear posthaste, dressed impeccably, spit spot, at tea time.

But the imaginative six-year-old Eloise has a different idea of what must be involved in her bawth. She locks the door, turns on all the faucets, and proceeds to fill the bathroom to the depth of the New York Aquarium's deep sea tank. Eloise has a mah-velous time, pretending to be a mermaid, a pirate captain, a surfer, a skin diver, and a water skier, all to the delight of her dog and turtle. The water rises higher and higher, but also begins to precipitate and drip from the ceiling fixtures into the room below, where a prominent socialite and her pampered poodle are just checking in. Her luggage is floating and her doggy is dripping, while above Eloise is happily splawshing.

And even worse, Eloise's excess bawth waters are beginning to flood the Grande Ballroom below where Mr. Salamone is putting the final touches on the delicacies on the buffet and the elaborate Venetian decorations for the Masked Ball. Knowing Eloise's history, as he does, Mr. Salamone has an idea who is responsible for this Diluvian Disaster.

It took a bit of literary deep diving to bring up this unpublished Eloise adventure floating around in author Kay Thompson's and illustrator Hillar7 Knight's unpublished manuscripts, but at last Eloise is back to make waves and rule the Plaza, in Eloise Takes a Bawth (Simon and Schuster). Filled with the fabulous and detailed period drawings of Hilary Knight, Eloise surfaces again at the old Plaza Hotel, both in all their glory, to delight another generation of her fans.

As Booklist sums up the flood, "Thompson's involved rhymed text is enhanced by Knight's inventive artwork, which views the wreckage from every vantage point. Kids will adore seeing Eloise in her room and the wreckage down below, and they'll love the foldout revealing the plumbing of the Plaza. The final spread, showing the Venetian Ball, now authentic because water is flowing everywhere, is an elaborate delight, quite worthy of Eloise."

Total Immersion? How Do You Take a Bath? by Kate McMullan

Animals bathe in many ways that people don't want to imitate--like squirting water through our nose or rolling in the mud without our clothes!

ELEPHANT LIFTS HIS TRUNK AND GIVES HIMSELF A SHOWER.

Okay, that sounds like fun, but for kids, it just can't be done. But then there's Pig's idea of skin care.

Wallowing in mud hour after hour?

Licking ourselves clean like a cat?

Nobody wants to do THAT!

Chickens take a bath in dust! That certainly doesn't appeal to US!

Turtle lets minnows nibble algae from his back. The very thought of that makes a kid say AACKK!

Animals have many clever ways to stay clean, but when it comes to kids, there's a better scene.

DO YOU RUN WATER IN A TUB?

DO YOU CLIMB IN AND SCRUB-A-DUB?

DO YOU DRY OFF, RUB-A-DUB?

Given the options offered in nature, most preschoolers will definitely Say YES to the Bath, in Kate McMullen's jolly prelude to the suds, How Do You Take a Bath? (Alfred A Knopf, 2018).

With funny examples of animal hygiene, McMullan's easy-going but clever little rhymes slip in an easy segue to the bedtime bath that parents will appreciate. Illustrator Sydney Hansen's soft colors and appealing animals--mother bats, hens and chicks, mama monkeys and furry babies, dogs and ducks, and happy hippos at the bird spa--give this one quite a bit of appeal to preschoolers who may not always be ready to hit the suds. And don't forget the rubber ducky!

Kate McMullan is also the celebrated co-author (with Jim McMullan) of such preschool best-sellers as I'm Dirty! (Kate and Jim Mcmullan) and I'm Brave! (Kate and Jim Mcmullan) and their many other standouts for preschoolers (see reviews here).

You Otter Listen! Otter: Oh, No, Bath Time! by Sam Garton

Teddy and I love to play in the yard.

Oh, no! It looks like rain!

"Do not get muddy!" says Otter Keeper.

Otter Keeper might as well save his breath.

Of course, Otter and his plushy bear buddy are going to get on their yellow slickers and make the most of the shower.

Teddy loves to play in the rain.

Well, judging from Teddy's fixed expression and body language, he's not the one who really loves playing in the rain and mud. (He is, after all, a toy!)

But Otter loves the water. (He is, after all, an otter.) He takes Teddy splashing in the rain puddles and soon Otter Keeper makes a declaration.

"Okay, it's time for a bath!"

But Otter does not like baths. He and Teddy try to hide. They even dress up and wear their Groucho glasses with mustaches. But somehow Otter Keeper seems to recognize them and get them into the suds. And, of course, they take to it like, well, otters to water. It's just as wet and fun as the rain.

So now Otter doesn't want to get out of the bath. Otter Keeper finally has to extract them from the tub and dry them off, hair dryer and all. He orders Otter to stay stay clean and dry for the rest of the day!

But now Otter wants to take another bath. Otter Keeper, however, is not up for doing that all over again.

"NOT TODAY!" he states firmly.

But where there's a will, there's a way, and outside in the yard, there's a lovely puddle waiting at the foot of the slide and Otter knows just what to do with it, in Sam Garton's Otter: Oh No, Bath Time! (My First I Can Read) (HarperCollins, 2016), and even young emergent readers can predict what happens next, as can their parents, who likely already know that for preschoolers, it's hard to get them into the bath and even harder to get them OUT. With Garton's engaging illustrations providing the visual cues for the simple text, this is a good first reader for youngster who have already met the characters in Sam Garton's popular Otter in Space by Sam Garton, (2016-01-01)Otter Goes to School (I Am Otter), and Otter Loves Easter! (I Am Otter).

Barely There! NAKED! by Michael Ian Black

LOOK AT ME, EVERYONE!

WHOOOOOHOOO!

A small boy bounces out of a bubblebath and suddenly is beset with the desire to streak the house.

His hair still wet and wild and stray bubblets trailing him, he runs through the house, as slippery as a wet seal, giving his bemused parents and startled baby brother a travelogue of his nude progress.  Racing through the rooms, sliding down the stairs, he even contemplates where else he might go in the... altogether!

I COULD GO TO SCHOOL NAKED!

His parents have that how-long-is-this-going-to-last look, but opt for ignoring the show. Mom goes on with the laundry, and Dad, with sidelong looks, pretends to be unimpressed as his bare boy does a demo of the Hokey Pokey's moves, cleverly shown on page in a birds-eye view.

And then our boy spots his beloved cape in the laundry basked, and putting it on over his bare skin inspires him to create a new superhero, Captain Naked, the nemesis of evildoers everywhere!

BEING NAKED IS GREAT!

BEING NAKED AND CAPED IS ... BETTER!

But just when Mom and Dad seem to have about had it with their in-house exhibitionist, the natural order asserts itself.

COLD!!!

Our impromptu nature boy discovers on his own why people don't go around naked as he reaches for his warm jammies and slippers in Michael Ian Black's Naked! (Simon & Schuster Books, 2014). Debbie Ridpath's exuberant comic illustrations show the joy of our au natural boy, all the while cleverly managing her point of view to figleaf those private zones most artfully with a leg, foot, or, in the schoolroom scene, with a scrupulously placed piece of paper. This is, of course, one of those books which youngsters will find truly funny: if the mere mention of the word "underwear" sets off giggles, this one will engender gales of laughter. (Don't say I didn't warn you! Parents, read this one after the kids are in their pajamas! Teachers: schedule this one right before recess or just before the buses appear.)

Black and Ridpath also collaborated on their popular I'm Bored.