The bath

BOOK REVIEW

THE BATH

Author: Lisa Biggi | Paloma Corral From the reader report by: Catherine Mansfield

This story offers a glimpse into a warm, innocent moment between the little boy and his mother, where they use their imaginations to connect with each other and turn a daily chore into a fun bonding experience. While there are lots of picture books about having baths, it is less common to see one where the parent and child bathe together. It’s likely that many families do this so it may be helpful for those children to have a story that captures this experience.

The illustrations are striking and artistic, using a colour palette mostly consisting of blues and greens, creating a warm sea-like world. They cleverly differentiate between “real life” and the moments where the mother and son are caught up in their imaginative games.

Suitable for children aged around 3-6 years, The Bath is a beautifully illustrated, tender story about how the imagination can turn everyday tasks into fun and magical bonding experiences. The book is likely to appeal to children – and perhaps especially to parents – as it presents a common theme (bath time) in a different way, as well as depicting a positive, creative relationship between a son and his mother. The illustrations are also beautiful to look at and have enough detail to be fun to talk about when reading the book to a child.

PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS UK

TAKATUKA

Title THE BATH LA BAÑERA

Author Lisa Biggi | Paloma Corral Genre Children and Youth Pages 32

ISBN 978-84-17383-62-6 Year of publication 2020 Number of editions 1 Language Spanish Spanish retail price 13.00 €

Author’s biography: After completing her studies in philosophy, Lisa Biggi (1975) contributed to poetry competitions and literary magazines. She published a book of tragicomic stories and several children’s books including Miranda (La Palissade, 2016), A Summer Night (Magellan & Cie, 2017), and The Spotless Knight (Cepages, 2019). She writes at night, and during the day she works at a school in Milan. https://lisabiggi.wixsite.com,

Paloma Corral (1982) studied fine arts and works in design and communication studios, and participates in workshops for illustrators with people like Miguel Tanco, Kitty Crowther and Javier Zabala. She currently combines her illustration with teaching at IED Madrid, teaching future illustrators. She won the Lazarillo illustration award (2018) and was selected for the Bologna Book Fair in 2019, Illustrarte in 2018, and the Sharjah International Book Fair in 2016 and 2018. http://www.palomacorral.com

Synopsis: It’s bath time, a daily routine that with a little imagination can become a true adventure. The soap box is like a flying saucer, the sponge reminds us of the car-wash, and the shampoo foam is a lot like an iceberg. What better than bath-time for an exciting adventure? And Mum can join you, but is that Mum or is it a desert island? All the bath-time extras are inspiration to create the most unexpected adventures, parent and child, in a world of pretend where our imagination runs wild. The illustrations take us into the depths of the water, its colours, the blue-green that contrasts with the clear bottom that describes the unique journey, written with delicious brief and poetic text.

Publisher: Takatuka Publishing company specialising in illustrated books, fiction and non-fiction, and books for early and more advanced readers.

Publishing rights available from: Takatuka S.L . - CIF B64877921 Junta de Comerç 18, bajos, 08001 Barcelona, Barcelona www.takatuka.cat Contact: Patricio de San Pedro Marín [patric@takatuka.cat] [patricia@takatuka.cat]

Phone: (+34) 620 048 390

Reviews and prizes: The Bath was chosen as one of the ten best books of 2020 by the New York Public Library.

Comments: A book that reveals the magic of everyday life.