It wasn't until I had kids of my own that I saw what my mom meant by "You guys always left your stuff around the house." See was talking about my two older brothers and I, and all the toys we would leave all throughout the house, sometimes in the kitchen, or in the bathroom, and even in our parent's bedroom. I used to laugh it off when she would talk about it at family gatherings, as I never thought it was that bad...that was until I had two girls of my own, and have had to battle walking about toys and LEGO pieces in the middle of the night, in the pitch darkness. You aren't a true parent until you walk the hidden path of toys to get to the kitchen for a glass of water for you or your kids, in the middle of the night. :-)
Even now that my girls are getting older and should know to pick up after themselves, I still find their plush toys and all their blind bag collectible figures and toys everywhere. Then, they get upset when they try to find them and think they are lost. I have to remind them that if they put them away when I said, then they would know where their stuff was at all times and they wouldn't be lost. When I say this, I feel like my mom telling this to my brothers and I, when we were kids. Ah, how things come full circle when you become a parents.
When I was approached to review and feature "There's an Elephant in My Bathtub" by Connie Bowman, I thought it was just going to be a funny story about an elephant in the bathtub. But, the title of this new children's book, which is available now, is a little misleading, as you aren't getting the whole gist of the book, until you actually sit down and read it...which is the best part. I shared this book with my girls, and we couldn't help but smile and giggle all the way through the book, as we read about a boy's father stumbling upon his son's toys, all throughout the house. The father, being used to the toys being left out -- you don't know they are toys until the end of the story -- has them follow him back to this son's room. As you read through the pages you are introduced to a menagerie of animals you would expect to find in a zoo or on safari, that are taking up new homes in different parts of the house, including the bathroom, kitchen, living room, pantry , etc.
Not only is the story cute, but the illustrations done by Kelly O'Neill really help to bring this children's book to life. Like I said, you don't realize until the end of the end of the story that these animals were just the boy's toys he forgot to pick up and put away. When the boy comes home, his dad tells him to creep slowly to his room and take a listen, as he will be in for a surprise. And, on the final two pages you see the boy and his dad dressed up and ready to go on a safari in the jungle to see all the animals the boy's dad wrangled up during the day.
This really is a fun story to read to kids, and parents will get a kick out of it, knowing that this is how we feel when we find toys laying around the house. Now, there is a book that playfully shows what could happen if our kids' toys were real and took over the house. My girls used their imaginations and shared their ideas for stories about the toys I have found laying around the house recently, and I love seeing them get inspired by books like this one from Connie Bowman to image and do a little storytelling of their own. :-) Thanks, Connie for such a fun book, and can't wait to share future book releases from you with my girls, and reader. Below is more about this new children's book release, as well as a giveaway, where you can win this book and some cute plush toys that were featured in this book, for your child. So, be sure to read on to enter this fun giveaway. :-)
About this new children's book release:
Written by Connie Bowman
Illustrated by Kelly O’Neill
Synopsis: When a loving father finds an elephant in his bathtub one morning he decides to take matters into his own hands. As he travels from room to room he discovers more animals making themselves quite at home. What’s a Dad to do? When his son arrives home from school he’s in for quite a surprise. Dad has gathered all of the animals together in his son’s room for quite a safari party! At the end of the story we find that Dad has a wonderful imagination and has created a sweet story out of his son’s animals left around the house.
Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Belle Isle Books | December 10, 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-1947860261
Follow Connie Bowman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/
PURCHASE LINKS:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Q1eNNF
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.
--GIVEAWAY--
Enter to win a copy of There’s an Elephant in My Bathtub by Connie Bowman, and a menagerie of stuffed animals!
One (1) winner receives:
- An autographed copy of There’s an Elephant in My Bathtub
- A menagerie of stuffed animals, as featured in the prize image
Nine (9) winners will receive:
- An autographed copy of There’s an Elephant in My Bathtub
Giveaway begins December 1, 2018, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends December 31, 2018, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Giveaway open to residents of Canada and the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older.
Connie Bowman is responsible for prize fulfillment.
Disclosure: I was sent a review copy from The Children’s Book Review and Connie Bowman in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
My favorite stuffed animal growing up was a grey bunny. I ended up losing it at a Burger King ball pit.
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