Review: An entertaining story with a lesson about cleanliness
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 20, 2013
I review a lot of children's books, and what I look for are a story and illustrations that will hold a child's interest. The story should have at least enough suspense to make a child want to finish it, with illustrations that will hold their eye while they take in the various colors, shapes, and objects. Beyond that, most stories are meant to be entertaining or to teach, ideally both.In "No No Shower," the family of swans had a pretty idyllic life, living on a big lake surrounded by a beautiful forest. The swans - Mommy and Daddy and their eight babies (called cygnets) had fun bathing in the lake each morning. All except one, that is. Little Ron hated the water and refused to bathe, and nothing his parents and siblings did would change his mind. The problem was that like people, swans begin to smell bad after a few days without bathing. Ron reeked so bad that none of the other animals would play with him. Well, the piglets would, but you know how pigs smell. Fortunately, Mommy and Daddy Swan got some sage advice from a wise friend, and they put together a plan to overcome Ron's dislike of the water. Would the plan work, and would Ron learn to enjoy bathing and looking and smelling fresh every day? And would Mommy and Daddy be able to take pride in their beautiful family?It's a nice story, one that kids should enjoy, and hopefully learn a lesson about personal hygiene and why it matters. I don't remember having an aversion to bathing when I was a kid, but my younger sister... Oy, was she a mess!