Uncle Albert's Flying Birthday - Hardcover

Wilson, Sarah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671727931 ISBN 13: 9780671727932

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1991

Synopsis

Jennifer Justine and her brother William must take their baths after all when a sleepy baker puts soap powder instead of flour in Uncle Albert's birthday cake.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 1-- A turn - of - the - century tale on the theme of kids' balking at taking a bath. Jennifer Justine and William refuse to bathe, even though they are to attend a birthday celebration in the park. A sleepy baker mistakenly puts soap instead of flour into the birthday cake and all the relatives (and pets and park animals) eat it and proceed to float through the air surrounded by soap bubbles. They all land in a pond that is transformed into the sudsiest bathwater ever. The story moves slowly and is a little long for reading aloud, although independent readers may enjoy the humor. The bold, festive, watercolor cartoons are eye-catching and have a sunny glow that suffuses the double-page spreads. Although most of Wilson's stories tend to be hyperbolic, the soap eating in this book is a disturbing element that may be off-putting (a rhymed note is included on the verso of the title page warning children not to eat soap). Libraries with Cole's No More Baths (Farrar, 1989), Zion's Harry the Dirty Dog (HarperCollins, 1956), or Woodruff's Tubtime (Holiday, 1990) will want to let this one float by. --Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Jennifer Justine and brother William are sick and tired of taking baths, and even though they are about to celebrate Uncle Albert's birthday, "the family decided just to pretend that the children were clean." Across town a sleepy baker mixes the ingredients for Uncle Albert's cake, unwittingly substituting soap powder for flour. The ensuing birthday party takes on unusual proportions when the revelers are overcome by the combination of soap-filled cake and lots of lemonade. Belching bubbles, the airborne guests float over the pastel countryside until they come to rest in a--quickly sudsy--pond. This Poppinsesque romp is appropriately Victorian in both its tongue-in-cheek story line and visual appeal. The playful complacency of the children's family and the gently humorous pictures are sure to soothe bath resisters everywhere. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0671727931
• ISBN 13: 9780671727932
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1