How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth

October 28, 2013
Unconventional pets abound in children’s books, from the mechanical (How to Train a Train) to the extinct (Buying, Training, and Caring for Your Dinosaur). The British duo of Robinson (What to Do If an Elephant Stands On Your Foot) and Hindley (The Great Snortle Hunt) focus on one aspect of mammoth ownership: bath time. Outfitted in a yellow hoodie and red boots, Robinson’s heroine tackles the job with persistence as Robinson provides a step-by-step tutorial. After filling the bath comes “Step two: Add bubble bath” and “Step three: Add mammoth.” It’s easier said than done, and in a sequence of labeled figures, Hindley shows the girl making four attempts that involve a broom, “spooky mask,” skateboard, and “heavy-duty crane.” The author and artist feel entirely in step, especially during the closing sequence that has the mammoth getting—horror of horrors—shampoo in its eyes and dashing up a tree, requiring a muddy rescue via trampoline. It’s a madcap story of pet care with sweetness at its core. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: the Catchpole Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Jodie Marsh, United Agents.

December 1, 2013
Step-by-step advice for tackling the task of mammoth hygiene. Moving to a very different pachyderm from the one in her previous title, What to Do If an Elephant Stands on Your Foot, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds (2012), Robinson instructs readers in the best ways to give your average everyday mammoth a bath. Taking cues from instructional guides, Hindley depicts diagrams of properly filled baths, figures that show how to get one's mammoth into the bathtub and even an array of possible soapy hairstyles. A misstep involving soap and large eyes leads to a very dirty mammoth escapee. So dirty, in fact, that the raincoat-clad heroine ends up taking a bath with him, much to the mutual contentment of the two. The art lifts what might otherwise have been an average outing with a delightfully expressive mammoth (he may not speak a word, but his eyebrows alone convey volumes). Lined ledger paper stands in perfectly for bathroom tiles, and even the rubber ducky is an interesting character to follow. With its combination of understated text and witty art, this book will leave most readers hankering (read: begging, pleading) for a prehistoric pet of their very own. (Picture book. 3-7)

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January 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-Washing a woolly mammoth is possible, but one must carefully follow each step. Children are introduced to a gigantic, unwashed wooly mammoth and the intrepid young girl who demonstrates the proper method for bathing such a beast. Surrounded by bits of leaves and circling flies, the "notoriously tricky to clean" animal stares despondently out at readers. The girl quickly takes charge, recommending the proper level of water for the tub and methods to entice the mammoth into the bath (by brute force, scare tactics, or tempting baked goods). All ends with an invitation to a bubbly, toy-filled soak for her muddy, wooly friend. Pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations show an eye for detail; a plethora of humorous bath products preceding the title page include "tusk whitener," "antibacterial hoof wash," and a generous tube of "elbow grease." The procedural text keeps the pages turning and contrasts nicely with the winsome illustrations. Youngsters will enjoy this lighthearted tale, especially the very last step: "Throw in the towel and SNUGGLE!"-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Preschool-K This picture book makes the wonderful assumption that every kid happens to have a woolly mammoth that needs washing. (If only.) Hysterical endpapers offer up the necessary tools for such a task: antibacterial hoof wash, tusk whitener, and a tube of elbow grease. Then the step-by-step guide begins. Step one is to fill the tub; step two means adding the bubbles; step three is a doozy and involves hoisting said mammoth into the tub by various methods, including a crane. Once he is settled, it's time to start the scrubbing (it's probably easiest if you stand on his back), followed by the tummy scrub (he is ticklish!). The remaining steps involve hair washing and what to do if you get soap in the mammoth's eyes and he bolts. In the end, it seems the best way to wash a woolly mammoth is to hop in the tub with him. It's an adorable bath time adventure, starring an expressive hairy giant and a sweet sprite of a child, who smartly wears a raincoat throughout. Share as a laugh-out-loud warm-up to any kid's own scrub-a-dub routine.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)