Sam's Bath

Max

by Barbro Lindgren, Eva Eriksson (Illustrator)

A toddler tries to give his dog a bath in a tub which is already full of his possessions.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

31 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Barbro Enskog was born in Bromma, Stockholm. She graduated from art school in 1958 and has been writing books for publication since 1965. Her style has exerted a major influence on Swedish children's literature. Located between realism and surrealism, her works are humorous and imaginative, and her books for children treat important issues to be taken seriously and treated for children.
Early in her career Barbro Lindgren won the 1973 Astrid Lindgren Prize, an annual Swedish literary award distinct from the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The once-in-a-lifetime award established on Astrid Lindgren's 60th birthday honours good writing for children or youth. Barbro Lindgren's long-time collaborator, the illustrator Eva Eriksson (born 1949), won the Prize in 2001.

Reviews

[Mirjam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speglar hur barn tänker. Att det inte har något stopp på vad de vill göra och hur konsekvensen blir av det.

[Bookrapt (Est. 1983) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young children will easily identify with the situations Max finds himself in. He’s an energetic little fellow, forever busy with the daily activities of childhood.

Max’s pink-cheeked, round face is endearing, especially when he’s flushed from the warm water at bath time and wearing a circular shield to keep his hair dry. He’s intent on washing his favourite toys and dunks them in the bath with enthusiasm.

However, Max’s dog isn’t at all keen on bath water and is curled up under a chair. Max has a clever way of enticing the dog out of hiding. The outcome is hilarious.

Both the author and the illustrator have received award-winning accolades for their work. Their collaboration in the Max series is a superb combination of talents. There’s not an adult in sight, yet there is a reassuring sense of parental care.

This well-bound board book is a perfect fit for small hands. Max’s Wagon and Max’s Bear are other titles in the series. All three books would make a great gift.

Reviewed by Jean Bennett (Bookrapt)

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for my 19 month old. The text is so clear and simple. She gets the humour and shakes her head vigorously "no" when the dog tries to avoid the bath. This book makes her laugh. I have the Max version - why would there be different names? Weird.

[NiklasArkmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastisk

[Frans Kempe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max badar

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This baby book is hilarious. My little guy already does a lot of these things so am not sure I want to encourage him but the older kids, three, five, and nine loved it and agreed Sam is very much like their littlest brother. Very cute.

[Sophie]

A beautifully illustrated book for young children and highly recommended. Reminded me of the humour of Tina Burke's "Sophie Bakes a Cake" and Pamela Allen's "Mr Archimedes' Bath".

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little book and Max is a cheeky little boy who's very relatable. I also like the role of dog in these books. (It seems that Max might be Sam in other countries).

[Megan Geissler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arabic version: Hamam Max. Learned great words like bathtub and teddy bear.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam is such a hit with my two year old.

[Justin Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great and funny read. I read this to my younger brother who is Kindergarten and now I have him reading it to me back. He loves and enjoys this book. It talks about a boy Sam who loves his bath and eventually tries to get his dog in the bath with him but all of his other toys and possessions are in there as well. The first time I read this my brother instantly tried to get our huge pitbull into the bath, to bad Rizzo wasn't feeling a bath that day. It's a great book for newcomers into the school programs.