The Doll Book of the Month Club: The Tub Grandfather

   Beware: Ahead there be spoilers!

  The last time we checked in with The Tub People, they were trying to save the Tub Child from the bathtub drain. In The Tub Grandfather, also by Pam Conrad, with illustrations by Richard Egielski...

... the family are playing on the rug. Grandmother pretends it is 'a sunny field from long ago', and pretends to plant seeds. 

When the family, (and the policeman and the doctor, and the dog), decides to play ball. While they are playing, a little wooden man sleeps under the radiator, where 'it's warm and dark and no one had looked there for a long time.'

But when the ball rolls under the radiator, the tub child finds the sleeping man.

The Tub People bring him out from under the radiator. He's missing one eye, and the other is closed. At first no one knows who he is, but Tub Grandmother gently asks, "Walter dear, is that you?" 

The gentleman doesn't answer. But he is, indeed, Walter, the Tub Grandfather. The Tub People try to wake him, by inviting hm to play ball, and by having a loud parade, with no success. That night they all line up as usual, only now there is also the Tub Grandfather.

The next morning they even try taking him to the tub. He still doesn't wake up. Finally they take him back to the rug. When the radiator comes on and begins to whistle, Tub Grandfather begins to rock back and forth on his feet. That's when Tub Grandmother figures out what to do. She begins to hum to him.

    Is that not the sweetest thing? This is such a warm, quiet, old fashioned story just like it's predecessor. This book was a bit wet, and had to have it's pages separated, after being discovered in a wet box in the bottom shelf of what was left of the book case in Fuzzy's room. I had it out today, drying in the sun, when Fuzz arrived and spotted it, and smiled, "Oh! The Tub Grandfather!"

    You can hear The Tub Grandfather read HERE.

  That's the doll book for this month. See you tomorrow for another doll.

Doll Book of the Month Club: The Tub People by Pam Conrad

  This month's Doll Book is "The Tub People", by Pam Conrad, with beautiful illustrations by Richard Egielski.

 "The Tub People" is a short picture book, which can be read in a few minutes, but there's quite an adventure included. The book tells the story of a group of toys who live on the side of a bathtub. They include, "The father, the mother, the grandmother, the doctor, the policeman, the child, and the dog", and that's the order they always stand in. 

  I wondered why the child didn't stand with his parents. It should have been a tip off to the payoff of the story. I won't tell you the end of the story, but I will tell you that it's quite touching. Before the end comes the adventure. One evening, instead of being lined up along the tub as they usually are, the tub people are left floating in the water. Suddenly the water is drained from the tub, and the hapless Tub People go spinning toward the drain. The poor Tub Child disappears down the drain, and the Tub People are unable to save him.

Will the Tub Child be rescued? 

The sad Tub People, (and dog), after the loss of the Tub Child.

Is this too scary for a small child? I don't think they'll be scarred by it. It's a sweet, old fashioned story that is reminiscent of books like "The Doll People", (no relation.).

Giving away the ending...

 My kids liked it very much when they were small. Emma has a book called, "The  20th Century Children's Book Treasury", a huge book with many children's books included within one volume. "The Tub People" is included in that. 

 

There have been two sequels, "The Tub Grandfather", and "The Tub People's Christmas". 

  You can hear "The Tub People"  read aloud HERE. You can hear "The Tub Grandfather" read aloud HERE, and "The Tub People's Christmas" can be heard HERE.

  Pam Conrad is also the author of  the 1986 ALA Best Children's Book of the Year and 1985 ALA Golden Kite Honor award winning children's novel "Prairie Songs", and the 1991 Edgar Allen Poe Best Juvenile Mystery award winner, "Stonewords". Richard Egielski is a Caldecott Medal winner and has illustrated many other children's books, including "Hey, Al", and the Tub People sequels, He has written and illustrated books including "Buz and Jazper", and "The Magic Balls", and "The Gingerbread Boy", both New York Times Best Illustrated Book award winners.

  That's it for this month's book. See you soon.