Colorful picture books and storybooks, a summer reading roundup; The Bear in the Bathtub, by Ellen B. Jackson. Illustrated by Margot Apple. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. $6.95.
What would you do if you found a bear in yourm bathtub? At first Andrew, who did notm like to take baths, was delighted. But Andrew's parents were not at all happy about having a bear living in their bathtub. The police came and ordered the bear to leave, but the bear would not get out.Next, the firemen tied a rope around the bear's stomach and tried to pull the bear out. He would not budge. Then, the zookeeper came and told Andrew that they would have to build a cage around the bear, but still the bear refused to move.Even the mayor could not urge the bear to leave. Then, Andrew had an idea, and it was his idea that solved the problem.
Ellen Jackson's story, enhanced by Margot Apple's two-color pencil drawings, captures the joyous and carefree natures of Andrew and his bear. Parents and children will enjoy the humorous problems Andrew has when he finds the bear in his bathtub, and also the way Andrew persuades the bear to ge t out of the tub.
