By Christine McFaul
Bathe the Cat is a new picture book by author-illustrator team Alice B. McGinty and David Roberts.
In this humorous caper, Dad and Papa rally their children for a day of cleaning. The family scrambles to complete their chore list before Grandma arrives for a visit, but due to the antics of their rascally bath-adverse feline, the chore list ends up scrambled instead. What began as a very clear to-do list has each member of the family completing an increasingly quirky and chaotic set of tasks: “Sarah, feed the floor. I’ll sweep the dishes. Bobby rock the rug. Dad will scrub those fishes.”
The writing in this book brings the comedy alive in a rollicking rhyme pattern that is so fun to read out loud. The wordplay, repetition of couplets, and alliterative sayings (“holy hornets” is my personal favourite, and I have used it endlessly since reading) is sure to engage readers at all levels of the picture book age range. And McGinty doesn’t leave the adults out—as the story races along, it very cleverly mirrors the increasing panic that accompanies getting everything in the house ready before a visit from important company.
McGinty’s nimble writing is brought to life by Roberts’ incredible illustrations (you may recognize his style from the iconic Questioneers series). Roberts’ art perfectly complements the tone of the text, somehow managing to punch up the happiness, humour, and energy on each page. The palette is bright and citrusy, almost neon in places, and contrasted against a crisp white background. I love his choice to do the chore list using old-school fridge magnets; it delivers a nice little dose of nostalgia and homey-ness. In Robert’s deft hands, the family cat—and ultimate source of mayhem—is subtly and hilariously rendered. It’s fun to find the furry feline on each page, and its many varied expressions tell a story in-and-of themselves.
One of the funniest and most engaging picture books I have read this year—I highly recommend this exuberant adventure. It has become a repeat-read in our house (I’m fielding daily requests from my own two little bookworms), and in my humble opinion, there is no greater compliment. For anyone looking for a children’s story with positive representation, this book includes a biracial and LGBTQ+ family.
Thank you, Chronicle Books and Raincoast Books, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.