Going For a Sea Bath. Andrée Poulin. Illustrated by Anne-Claire Delisle. Translated by Erin Woods. Toronto, ON: Pajama Press, 2016. 32 pp., hardcover, $17.95. ISBN 978-1-927485-92-7. Subject Headings: Baths-Juvenile fiction. Baths, Sea-Juvenile fiction. Seashore animals-Juvenile fiction. Fathers and daughters-Juvenile fiction. Preschool-kindergarten / Ages 2-5. Review by Claire Perrin. **** /4 Reviewed from F&G's.

What could make a boring bath more exciting? In Going For a Sea Bath, Leanne and her father look for ways to do just that. When Leanne complains that there is nothing to play with in the bathtub, Leanne's father runs all the way to the sea to find something. First he brings back one turtle, then two eels, followed by three clown fish. And so it goes until there are more than 30 wiggly, colourful creatures altogether. The last straw is when 10 purple octopi are added, and poor Leanne complains: "My bath is overflowing." With one final marvellous idea, Leanne's dad suggests they make another trip down to the sea, but not to get any more creatures – instead they jump in the sea and enjoy a relaxing sea bath!

Leanne's father asked, "If you have five shrimps and six hermit crabs, how many legs is that?"

"Too many legs!" his daughter said. Then she suggested, "What if we add some animals with no legs?"

Her father cried, "Magnificent idea!"

      Repetition and humour make Going For a Sea Bath a wonderful read for children who are young enough to enjoy playing in the bathtub. They will enjoy counting and adding all the sea creatures. Poulin uses a combination of familiar animals, like turtles and clown fish, along with lesser known ones, such as sea urchins, anemones and eels. The illustrations are realistic yet humorous and show Leanne swimming around with her new bath mates. Each page offers an opportunity to spot the creatures from previous pages as well as count the new ones being added. Large full-page illustrations by artist Anne-Claire Delisle give readers lots to look at and add to the humour of the story. The sea turtle, who was the first one to join the fun, is the largest and funniest of all the creatures and can be spotted in many funny poses throughout the story.

      Rich with vocabulary, numbers, humour and wonderful art, Poulin and Delisle have created a wonderfully entertaining counting book.

Highly Recommended.

Claire Perrin is an elementary teacher in Toronto, ON.

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