Max's Bath by Rosemary Wells (1985, Hardcover)

ISBN 0803701624 - Every now and then, the critics all agree. The back of Max's bath proclaims they all agree on Max - and like him. I almost feel as if all I can add is "me, too!"

Max ends up wearing a good portion of his sandwich, so Ruby orders a bath. While she readies it, he eats sherbet and juice and when it's time to get in the tub, he takes the sherbet along, dying the bath water - and himself - orange. He repeats this in a new bath with the juice and ends up dirtier still. Ruby finally gives up and makes him take a shower and she plans to get him clean. As the nearly tie-died Max becomes his usual fluffy white self, he points to Ruby, now wearing his mess, and pronounces her dirty.

Max and Ruby are fun siblings. Ruby, as the older sister, is a bit bossy and Max, as the younger brother, allows himself to be bossed, sort of. It's a cute relationship that anyone can appreciate. Young readers will find the silly tale hilarious and learn, at least, clean and dirty. The illustrations are fun, on plain brightly colored backgrounds without much detail to distract focus from the images which really are a part of the story.

- AnnaLovesBooks