The rhyme is delightful, and the illustrations are impeccable. ( )

Genre:
Picture books for children
Classics
Tone:
Silly
Illustration:
Detailed
Colorful
Subject headings:
Rulers
Baths
Obstinacy
Repetition in stories

King Bidgood is refusing to leave his bathtub! Everyone thinks that they have the answer for how to get the king to leave the tub and join the court. It turns out, though, that every suggestion can be done in the tub! Battle, lunch, fishing, dancing...all of these activities are well suited for tub time. The poor page is left to clean up each mess, but he is the one with the answer in the end. Pulling the plug gets the king out in quite a hurry. The illustrations by Don Wood are so intricate and you can find new details every time you look at the pages. The faces of the characters are so animated and lifelike and they truly give the story humor and life. This is a story I grew up with and continue to enjoy to this day.

In this clever tale, King Bidgood is thoroughly enjoying his bath and he will not get out to rule his kingdom. The page run to the townsfolk for help. The Knight tries calling the King to battle, but instead the King has the battle in the tub with a surprised Knight along with him. The Queen calls him to lunch, the the King calls for lunch in the tub with the fully dressed Queen of course! The Duke and the Court also try to get him out of the tub, but to no avail. It is finally night time. What does the Page do to get him out of the tub? The repeated chorus engage young readers who will ask for this book to be read again and again. Excellent for preschool through 1st grades. The illustrations are rich and detailed with ornate clothing and vivid facial expressions. The colors are dark to draw attention to fact that the story is based on the problem.

This was a favorite when I was young. We loved studying the illustrations and finding all the little hidden details. The story is a lot of fun too, but the pictures were why we loved it so much. ( )