The other day, my 11 year old niece asked my sister If she could give the cat a bath. The answer was unequivocally “NO”.
This book turns that potential for tragedy into a laugh-out-loud picture book for beginner readers and cat lovers alike. It has stayed on my coffee table in the studio for months now.
Step one: fill the bath
Step two: put the cat in the bath
Step three: put shampoo on the cat
Step four: rinse the cat
Step five: dry the cat
Pretty clear, right ?
One problem: the cat has no intention of being any part of it!
Ok, there are actually a few more problems along the way.
Watch as the steps become a mess, the girl eats too many cookies and the house turns upside down until the funny yet appropriate solution reveals itself.
About the Author:
Nicola Winstanley is the author of The Pirate’s Bed, A Bedtime Yarn and Cinnamon Baby, which won an honour prize for the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and was shortlisted for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. How to Give Your Cat a Bath was shortlisted for the 2019 Governor General’s Literary Award. She is originally from New Zealand and currently lives in Hamilton, ON with her husband, two children, two cats and tiny dog named Blueberry Fang Whitepaw.
About the Illustrator:
John Martz is a cartoonist and illustrator from Toronto, Ontario. He worked in graphic design and television before following his true love of books and comics, and has been drawing cartoons and illustrations professionally for ten years. John’s career in books is inspired by childhood favourites such as Richard Scarry, Alligator Pie by Dennis Lee, as well as comic strips like Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes. He lives in Toronto with his wife, and his dog Gary Panter (named after the underground cartoonist).