CM Magazine: Pippin Takes a Bath. (Pippin and Mabel series).

________________ CM . . . . Volume VII Number 10 . . . . January 19, 2001

Pippin Takes a Bath. (Pippin and Mabel series).

K.V. Johansen. Illustrated by Bernice Lum.
Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 1999.
32 pp., cloth, $12.95.
ISBN 1-55074-627-8.

Preschool - grade 2 / Ages 4 - 7.

Review by Catherine Hoyt.

** /4

excerpt:

The next day Mabel said,
"Right, Pippin. Today you will
have a bath."
She filled the big metal tub
with water. Pippin hid in the
toolshed. Mabel hauled
Pippin out, picked her up
and put her in the tub.
Then she picked up
the shampoo.
Zoom! went Pippin.

Most dogs seem to like mud puddles, and lots of dogs don't like baths. Pippin is no exception, and he leads Mabel on an entertaining chase. Many dog owners can relate to poor Mabel. But finally after an encounter with a skunk, Pippin gladly takes a bath. Poor Pippin! Mabel has to use tomato juice, vinegar, and smelly shampoo. After many baths, Pippin is clean again, but not for long. Bernice Lum has done her artwork in watercolour and marker. Lum does a good job of capturing Pippin's bathing dilemma. I feel that the main fault with this story is that the "text" is quite different than that of most picture books. The text is plenty large enough, but the chosen font has unusually large spaces between the letters which I noticed immediately. I found it very distracting because the words appear jumbled. I wonder if new independent readers might have the same difficulty? Despite this flaw, the story would make an amusing read aloud choice, especially for those who can relate to having a dog who doesn't like baths.

Recommended with Reservations.

Catherine Hoyt is the Curator of the Eileen Wallace Children's Literature Collection at the University of New Brunswick.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - January 19, 2001.