About the Holiday
In a rush? Just jumping in for a quick shower? Slow down, relax, and enjoy a good soak! Today’s holiday gives you permission to luxuriate a little with a nice, warm bath. So grab some bath salts or a fizzy bath bomb and start the water running. Kids will love a before-bed bath with bubbles and toys!
When Your Lion Needs a Bath
Written by Susanna Leonard Hill | Illustrated by Daniel Wiseman
What is up with the little boy’s pet lion? He’s dirty and disheveled and…smelly. He definitely needs a bath. But getting a lion into the tub can be a little tough. After all they are cats, “and have you ever met a cat who likes water?” But, if you’re determined, there’s a certain order to things when you’re trying to bathe your lion. First, you have to get everything ready because once the lion is in the tub, “you’ll have to work fast.”
Image copyright Daniel Wiseman, 2017, text copyright Susanna Leonard Hill, 2017. Courtesy of simonandschuster.com.
Getting the lion in the tub in the first place takes stealth and cunning. You don’t want your lion to realize what’s happening. You can try getting him to chase a toy mouse, but sometimes that just results in a dizzy lion. Perhaps he’d follow “a ball with a bell inside.” Or maybe he’ll just send all your toys flying! Cats love pouncing on yarn! There he goes…! But wait! How did he get so tangled up?
Image copyright Daniel Wiseman, 2017, text copyright Susanna Leonard Hill, 2017. Courtesy of simonandschuster.com.
Maybe a dog can chase him into the tub. Don’t cats run away from dogs? Hmmm…not lion cats, I guess. Well, who can resist an ice cream sundae? Build the biggest “brownie banana butterscotch berry marshmallow marmalade strawberry-smothered caramel-covered peanutty-buttered double-dip chocolate-chip triple-whipped jelly-bean sundae supreme. Too much?”
Image copyright Daniel Wiseman, 2017, text copyright Susanna Leonard Hill, 2017. Courtesy of simonandschuster.com.
Then why not try a simpler approach: go fishing! Just “tie a feather to your fishing line and cast!” (Over the tub, of course!) Got ‘em! Now “quick!” Squirt and scrub and rinse! Great! Now he’s “squeaky clean.” But watch out! There he goes! “You probably should have closed the door.” He just jumped right back into the mud puddle. You too? “Looks like your lion needs another bath. And so do you.”
Image copyright Daniel Wiseman,, 2017, text copyright Susanna Leonard Hill, 2017. Courtesy of simonandschuster.com.
Susanna Leonard Hill’s race to lure a lion into an unwanted, but much-needed, bath is madcap fun for young readers. The boy’s many attempts to chase his lion into the tub will set little ones giggling as they think of their own bath-time antics or the challenges of washing their own pets. The funny suggestions may lead kids to think of their own sneaky solutions, which would make this book a great prompt for classrooms or home reading time.
Image copyright Daniel Wiseman, 2017. Courtesy of simonandschuster.com.
Kids will be enchanted by Daniel Wiseman’s puff-maned lion who likes to play more than preen and the sweet boy determined to tempt his pet into the tub. Wiseman’s charming illustrations enhance the humor as the lion enthusiastically pounces on each enticement but without the intended results. As the lion finally goes from “smelly” to sparkling and then takes off for the mud puddle again, kids will find the boy’s choice funny and satisfying.
When Your Lion Needs a Bath will be an often-asked-for addition to toddlers’ and young readers’ home book shelves and in daycare, preschool, and kindergarten classrooms.
Ages 2 – 4
Simon and Schuster Little Simon Board Book, 2017 | ISBN 978-1481495028
Discover more about Susanna Leonard Hill and her books on her website.
View a gallery of art work by Daniel Wiseman on his website.
Jump into this jazzy When Your Lion Needs a Bath book trailer!
Bathtub Party Day Activity
Homemade Bath Clings
Instead of buying bathtub clings for your kids to play with, make some yourself! It’s easy with regular foam sheets, cookie cutters or stencils, and scissors! Make it a family activity and watch the shower of creativity that results!
Supplies
- Foam sheets in various colors
- Cookie cutters or stencils
- Scissors
Directions
- Trace cookie cutter shapes or stencils onto the foam
- And/Or cut squares, triangles, rectangles, circles, and other shapes from the foam in a variety of sizes
- Cut out the shapes
- Wet the backs of the shapes with water and stick them to the tub or tiled or lined wall. Shapes will also stick with a little shaving gel or cream applied
Picture Book Review
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