King Bidgood's in the Bathtub

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully rhythmic and superbly illustrated
Review: Audrey and Don Wood's rollicking "King Bidgood's in the Bathtub" deftly combines a propulsive, rhythmic verse with gorgeous detailed painted illustrations. The problem, as shouted about by the king's young page, is that the king is having entirely too fine a time in the tub--and consequently, he's not getting out and attending to the affairs of his kingdom.

"No problem!" the court ladies and gentlemen say, confident that they can get the king out of the tub. But despite the ante being consistently upped in every imaginable way, the king remains happily lolling in bathwater. Illustrations of the king deserve special mention, as he is a delicious combination of England's King Henry VIII and a sort of demonic Burl Ives.

After trying to get the king out by promising and cajoling and wheedling all sorts of fun things, the members of the court finally give up--and the young page gleefully comes up with a simple and wonderful solution. All's well that ends well, and this book ends well. Wonderful stuff!

Rating:
Summary: Fun-filled and Satisfactory for Readers of All Ages
Review: I am 20 and babysit my nephew (he's 3) weekly. I remember reading this book in Elementary School and being captivated by the beautifully done and action packed illustrations. Now it is a favorite of my nephew. The rhythm and pattern of the writing is just as fun to read as it is to listen to. He loves to try to remember every page and always chimes in with "King Bidgood's in the bathtub and he won't get out! Oh who knows what to do?" Kids can relate to this kooky king in wanting to stay in the tub, the story is imaginative and the vocabulary is kid-friendly but also helps kids to learn new words. I appreciate books that don't get old fast because children love to hear favorites again and again. King Bidgood, like Heggledy Pegg is a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary illustrations, so-so text
Review: I'm a big fan of Don and Audrey Wood (THE NAPPING HOUSE is one of my all-time favorite children's books; I love PIGGIES, too). I'm lukewarm on this one, however. Admittedly, the illustrations are extraordinary. One bathtub scene has the King and his Knight sitting in steamy tub filled with miniature ships and sailors battling through soapsuds and waves. Another scene has the King fishing in the tub with his Duke. The Duke sits hunched over in a mass of cattails and lily pads, furrowing his brow and trying to bait his hook. Trout leap from the tub, ducks and frogs hide in the rushes, and turtles crawl along the tub's edge. You could spend hours looking at the illustrations; you'll notice all sorts of funny details if you do. I've read this book a million times with my toddler, and I only noticed today that the castle-shaped cake in the food scene (where the King feasts in the tub with his Queen) is topped with a miniature bathtub with King Bidgood in it. Unfortunately, the text is rather weak. It's a simple story. A young page announces that King Bidgood won't get out of the bathtub. Various court officials try to get him out, none successfully. Finally, the entire court ends up in the tub at a Masquerade Ball which gets so crazy that the page pulls the plug. This gets the King out of the tub. The problem is the text is a repetitive quasi-poem thing (which the book jacket describes as a "lyric text"), and some of the lines don't really work. What does it mean, for example, to cry out "with a trout, trout, trout"? That's not to say that the text is horrible. It's not. It's quite okay, in fact. But when the illustrations are really extraordinary, a quite okay text feels like a real let-down.

Rating:
Summary: We know what to do!
Review: King Bidgood's in the bath tub and he won't get out cries the page who knows what to do. The queen, the duke the knite and the court all try to get the king out of the bath tub. instead of helping the page, it makes more for for him. Until the page knows what to do, he pulls the plug, glub glub glub! The pictures are beautiful! You have to spend time looking at the pictures because they are so detailed. My so loves this book. It gose in our favorite pile.

Rating:
Summary: Audrey Wood is great
Review: She did it again with this book. A cute story with good illistrations. The only thing I didn't like was that the book was a little dark. I usually like bright vibrant colors. My children enjoy the book and ask me to read it often.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely and Imaginative Illustrations
Review: The premise of the story is silly: King Bidgood is having so much fun in the bath that he won't get out. Whenever anyone tries to lure him away to other activities, he carries out the activities in the tub - fishing, eating, celebrating, etc.. Courtiers join him in full dress, and have a merry time while the page tries desperately to get the king to get out of the bath.

These are some of the most beautiful and detailed illustrations I have ever seen! My favorite is the page on which King Bidgood is fishing in the tub. There are water grasses, lilies, fish, and an amazing array of colors. All the pictures are lovely! It's a great book for sparking kids' imaginations because the illustrations are realistic although the story is fanciful.

I would recommend this book for any child who loves detailed pictures. There is always something else to be found, no matter how many times a child examines the pages. And, it's a great book for dreamers or kids who don't like to get out of the bath!

Rating:
Summary: Lovely and Imaginative Illustrations
Review: The premise of the story is silly: King Bidgood is having so much fun in the bath that he won't get out. Whenever anyone tries to lure him away to other activities, he carries out the activities in the tub - fishing, eating, celebrating, etc.. Courtiers join him in full dress, and have a merry time while the page tries desperately to get the king to get out of the bath.

These are some of the most beautiful and detailed illustrations I have ever seen! My favorite is the page on which King Bidgood is fishing in the tub. There are water grasses, lilies, fish, and an amazing array of colors. All the pictures are lovely! It's a great book for sparking kids' imaginations because the illustrations are realistic although the story is fanciful.

I would recommend this book for any child who loves detailed pictures. There is always something else to be found, no matter how many times a child examines the pages. And, it's a great book for dreamers or kids who don't like to get out of the bath!

Rating:
Summary: LOVE THE PICTURES
Review: This is a fabulous book with wonderful lines for small children. My 4 1/2 year old is in love with this book. She laughs at how the king won't get out. She reads along with me and gets the funniest expressions when King Bidgood won't get out. It is a must read for young kids and their parents!

Rating:
Summary: Fun
Review: This was one of my favorite books when I was young, as well as "The Napping House" by Audrey Wood. The great illustrations and the silly progressive storyline make this the perfect book to read to your kids. When my dad read it to me, we'd always say this part together in an exasperated tone: "King Bidgood's in the bathtub and he *won't get out*!!"

Rating:
Summary: This will make you laugh!
Review: When I was in 5th grade, I read King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, and got to hear the tape with it. It was so good, my brother and I would read it constantly. We would even walk to school singing the song (at the top of our lungs, of course!). A great children's book, all in all, with beautiful illustrations. The absurdity of fishing in a tub, going to war in a tub, eating lunch, and even having a royal ball in a bathtub will have you laughing in no time. Get it for the kids in you life, but I bet some adults will like it too!