The Tub People [Paperback]

Pam Conrad (Author), Richard Egielski (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 1995 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

During an unseen child's bath time, the seven members of a wooden toy family ride on the floating soap and compete in swimming races. But after the near loss of the Tub Child down the drain, they are all reunited on a warm bed, where they mountain climb on the ridges formed by soft quilts.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Tub People resemble nothing so much as the small, rigid figures found in children's play sets--an unlikely cast of characters and yet, improbably, this story about them succeeds. Together text and illustrations spin just the sort of story a child might orchestrate as part of bath-time play, one in which the miniature figures are invested with human emotions and made to enact dramas that intersect with the child's imagination and experiences. The Tub People like to go for rides on the washcloth raft and the floating soap. One day disaster strikes: the Tub Child is lost, washed down the drain. Eventually a plumber retrieves him and the Tub People are reunited in the safety of a child's bedroom--this time with the Tub Child positioned securely between his parents, with faintly discernible smiles on their faces. In this simple yet sophisticated picture book--Conrad's first--the author maintains a childlike point of view without becoming coy or condescending. And Egielski's illustrations--among his best work ever--avoid cuteness without appearing cold; they draw on realism, color and perspective to stunningly good effect. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- A deceptively simple story about seven small wooden dolls (a grandma, a boy and his parents, a dog, a doctor, and a policeman). They coexist with people, first as objects for bathtime and then, after the boy gets stuck in the drain, as windowsill decorations. But there's a spookiness, a surreality about the manner of their interactions that invites readers to use them allegorically. The temptation to perceive the actions of these dolls as a family set in a political state that severely limits their lives is strong. Egielski's crisply delineated, deceptively simple scenes create a visual world that adds considerably to the surrealism. There is no question about the inanimateness of these slickly painted, clothespinlike figures. But--with dots and a few lines as facial clues, can we be "reading" their thoughts? Close-ups are used to make a reasonably scaled world for these figures. Thus patterns of shadows, soap foam, quilt, and tools are blown up to take on new identities. Pictures and words interact in ways that magnetize readers, causing them to linger over a page and to turn back to test a theory of meaning. --Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (April 14, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064433064
• ISBN-13: 978-0064433068
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 10.9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My kids are spellbound..., September 4, 2005

By 

Anjila J. Sisler Dr (Palatine, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tub People (Paperback)

My 2 and 4 yr olds both request this book at least twice a day. I only wish we could buy actual Tub People figures, because I know my boys would have hours of fun acting out the story and coming up with more of their own.
This is a delightful story of toys coming to life, and has the heartwarming theme of reuniting a family. I still don't mind reading it over and over.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A three year old's favorite, April 5, 2003

By 

"scoobra" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tub People (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

This story has made a lasting impression on my three year old son. For the last six months my son points at every drain we see...at the YMCA, bathrooms, and places I never knew had drains, and says, "There is a drain. That's where the tub child went." I know I am probably planting seeds for my son's future therapist but regardless this really is a wonderful book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought it was dorky, but my 3-year old loves it, October 31, 2003

By 

Mear "Mom of 2 little ones" (Wyandotte, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tub People (Paperback)

I have to buy this book after borrowing it from the library. My daughter always has me read it 2 or 3 times in row. Although the first time we read it, was a bit dramatic for her. We got to the "heavy drama part" in the story, and I heard a whimper from my daughter. I turned and saw her lip quivering, and her eyes filling up with tears. I hurried up and explained, "Don't worry honey -- he gets saved--he gets saved." And then we flipped a couple pages ahead. "See, the Tub Child is back with his family." And so she was quickly reassured. As soon as we finished the story, her response was, "Read it Again! Read it Again!" And no more tears. But she still always flips ahead to the page where the Tub Child is back with his family!