Opening endpapers show a man buying an apple green bathtub with a quizzical expression from a fantastical flea market. A few pages later, young Sammy is playing pirate in the laundry room when his mother interrupts, telling him to get d stay ean for his grandmother's visit. Sammy helps his father install the same, possibly animate tub in the upstairs bathroom and submits to being its first bather. But before the bubbles are fully bubbled, the tub is off, out of the house, and down to the shore, where mermaids, sea monsters, and pirates await. After having more fun than one ought to in the tub, Sammy and the bath return home to bathe another day. Mahy dots her story with irreverent fun, while Kellogg fills the spreads with exuberant, swirling watercolors dense with detail. Together the text and images offer an imaginary picture of bath time sure to persuade even the most skeptical bather of the joys of ablution.

K-Gr 2 Sammy's neighbors' dad brings home a speedboat from the flea market while his father brings home a square, green, claw-footed bathtub. As the ill-mannered boys head to the beach for some boating, Sammy heads to the tub to clean up before Grandma arrives. While attempting to make his bath as adventurous as possible with bubbles, bathing suit, snorkel, water wings, and ocean song, something adventurous does happen. The great, green tub stands up, rolls down the stairs and out the back door, and then gallops to the beach. It dives into the warm water (tossing aside those boys next door in a bath-made wave) and swims with Sammy into the sea. They meet mermaids and race a sea serpent. They battle with pirates who want his bathtub (luckily the sea serpent is on their side). They get home just as Sammy's mother walks into the bathroom "without knocking, the way mothers sometimes do." Mahy's spot-on text is perfectly matched by Kellogg's illustrations done in his trademark style. Shades of green suffuse the scenes featuring the tub in a delightfully subtle and clever way. Sammy's abundant imagination is matched only by his actual bathtub escapade. Pair this rollicking tale with Susan Seligson's Amos: The Story of an Old Dog and His Couch (Little, Brown, 1987) and a version of "Aladdin" for a storytime highlighting unusual modes of transportation. Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Sammy's mother insists that he take a bath before Grandma arrives, and their new green bathtub takes the boy on a wild seafaring adventure. Kellogg's exuberant, finely detailed artistic style complements the bathtub mariner's jaunt with a friendly sea serpent and mermaids, his "bath-and-buccaneer battle," and the rollicking trip home (laden with pirate treasure) to his mother and grandma.

The boys who live next door to Sammy are thrilled when their father finds a racy red speedboat at the flea market. Sammy, however, is puzzled by his own father-s purchase: a clunky, green bathtub. Kellogg-s reliably ebullient illustrations let readers know that this is no ordinary tub: for one, it has an expressive, wide-eyed face, and Sammy hears the tub -give a gurgle as if it were laughing.- After the tub jumps to life and carries Sammy to the seashore during his bath, the late Mahy-s boundless whimsy and Kellogg-s freewheeling sense of play combine in a rowdy swashbuckling adventure. Sammy sails out to sea in the tub and, with the help of a friendly sea serpent, engages in -a wonderful bath-and-buccaneer battle- with pirates. -The buccaneers had swords, but Sammy bewildered them with bubbles and baffled them with soapsuds,- writes Mahy. Like this acclaimed duo-s last collaboration, The Rattlebang Picnic (1994), this story is distinguished by a frenetic energy, old-fashioned charm, and rapid plot zigzags. Ages 4-8. (July)

A very imaginative boy has the bath adventure of a lifetime. While his lucky neighbors score a speedboat from the flea market, Sammy's dad comes home with a green claw-foot bathtub. Before his get-ready-your-grandmother-is-coming-to-visit bath, Sammy thinks he sees some strange things about the tub, and he is proven right when he gets in: As he sings while relaxing in the tub, the tub jiggles and jumps along before breaking free of the bathroom. The two make their way to the shore, where the green bath enters the sea. Mermaids, a sea serpent, Treasure Island and some buccaneers figure in the duo's adventures. A fierce battle ensues before Sammy, the sea serpent and the green bath emerge victorious. The wet pair make their way back home on the bath's claw feet, Sammy's family none the wiser—except for the huge treasure chest. Throughout, read-aloud master Mahy dabbles with alliteration. Kellogg's familiar style fills the pages with details aplenty, the fantasy coming alive before readers' eyes. The pages with the buccaneers are especially busy. A rumpus in the bathroom that readers are sure to try to emulate, even if only in their imaginations—lay down some towels before filling the tub! (Picture book. 4-8)