Bath Time for the Crayons
(Crayons)

PreS-Gr 2--Oh no, those wild and crazy crayons, the ones that once went missing and continue to have strong opinions about their use, are at it again! This time the artistic tools tackle bath time. They use their drawing capabilities to make a splash, filling the tub with imaginative scenes of swashbuckling fun or deep ocean views. Do the events shown really go along with the colors? Slightly, but it's not at the forefront. There's not too much work to make pink or green completely integrated with things that would naturally fit with water or cleanliness. Humor, not education, is the main outcome of this reading experience. It's definitely more about the joy of creativity with these unexpected figures, with color references serving as jokes or asides from the crayons themselves. A few amusing anecdotes are thrown in to entertain the grown-up readers, like small shout-outs to Moby Dick or a passing reference to Botticelli's Renaissance art. VERDICT The crayons and their art are delightful, rustic, and interesting enough to keep children not only entertained but constantly looking for playfulness on every page. An aquatic amusement that lands across a range of grades.--Cat McCarrey

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Good clean fun for fans of this long-running franchise.