How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth: A Picture Book

How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth: A Picture Book

Things can get a bit messy when you try to wash a woolly mammoth. Follow this step-by-step guide to successfully clean up your hairy friend. Be forewarned! A mammoth's tummy is terribly tickly. Young readers and parents alike will appreciate this hilarious bath time adventure in How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth. 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 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. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Ann Kelley “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!'” ― School Library Journal “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.” ― Booklist “It's a madcap story of pet care with sweetness at its core.” ― Publishers Weekly “Robinson, in what is her first book for children, strikes just the right 'in on the joke' tone.” ― The New York Times on 'What To Do If An Elephant Stands On Your Foot' “When the ending suggests that the story is starting over, listeners will be happy to hear it again.?” ― Kirkus Reviews on 'What To Do If An Elephant Stands On Your Foot' Michelle Robinson is the bestselling, award-winning author of picture books including The World Made a Rainbow , She Rex , There's a Lion in my Cornflakes, A Beginner's Guide to Bearspotting, Grandmas from Mars, the Goodnight Spaceman series and many, many more. She has won several awards, including the Lollies Laugh Out Loud Book Award, Sainsbury's Children's Book Award, the Stockport Children's Book Award and the North Somerset Teachers' Book awards. She is also the author of funny young fiction including Do Not Disturb the Dragons and Do Not Mess with the Mermaids . michellerobinson.co.uk / @micherobinson Kate Hindley is a children's book illustrator, currently living and working in Worcestershire, UK. Her first picture book illustrations appeared in The Great Snortle Hunt . She likes doodling, and pea and ham soup.