Author: Mem Fox and Olivia Rawson
Illustrator: Kerry Argent
Publisher: Viking, A$24.95RRP
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978 0 670 07213 2
For ages: 0 – 5
Type: Picture Book
About: So lovely to smooth my hands over the cover of a shiny new copy of A Giraffe in the Bath, resplendent with Argent’s emotive and lustrous illustration of a giraffe up to its, er – neck in foofing bubbles.
It has always intrigued me how two authors could simultaneously work on a picture book, being that it is so minimal in regard to text, but seasoned Fox and her protégé Rawson have come together seamlessly in this rib-tickling animal-fest for the very young.
What would make you laugh? That giraffe in the bath? A roo on the loo? A crocodile with style? Preschoolers will change favourites nightly with this amiable lineup of critters – a kooky koala, a somewhat cerebral bandicoot, a cackling kookaburra and superhero piglet – who take us through a very silly series of animals performing giggle-worthy antics.
Simple, rhythmic questions are posed to the reader on each page, backed by Argent’s gorgeous visual splendour, stacked with detail adults will also enjoy. My favourite? The koala splashing bandicoot while giraffe lays supine in the bath under a fallen shower curtain rod, and kookaburra cacking himself on an upturned stool.
Little ones will love the chaos and be entranced by a selection of characters who mimic the very pandemonium toddlers so utterly relish.
Author website (Fox)
Author website (Rawson)
Illustrator website
This book is available online