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Pirates Don't Take Baths
This perfect story for bathtime is now available as a board book !
For any young child (or pig), there are few things more excruciating, more traumatic, more torturous than bathtime. And this little pig is putting his hoof down. No. More. BATHS. But how can he possibly accomplish this? Well, by being someone else, of course. After all, everyone knows that pirates, astronauts, and knights in shining armor--just to name a few--never, EVER take baths. Now if only he can convince his mother . . .
This humorous story is the perfect choice for kids and parents who know all too well the never-ending struggle of bathtime.
For any young child (or pig), there are few things more excruciating, more traumatic, more torturous than bathtime. And this little pig is putting his hoof down. No. More. BATHS. But how can he possibly accomplish this? Well, by being someone else, of course. After all, everyone knows that pirates, astronauts, and knights in shining armor--just to name a few--never, EVER take baths. Now if only he can convince his mother . . .
This humorous story is the perfect choice for kids and parents who know all too well the never-ending struggle of bathtime.
22 pages, Board Book
First published March 3, 2011
1 person is currently reading
157 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
September 21, 2018
This is the story of a little piggy who delays taking a bath by being different characters who don't take baths. Meanwhile, Mom tries to lure the piglet into taking a bath. It's a book that takes on the bath time issue many children go through and uses Mommie logic to counter the objections. However, I have read one review where the reviewer said the portrayal of the Eskimo was inaccurate.
February 8, 2013
Pirates Don’t Take Baths is a terrible and offensive book. Most reviewers on GoodReads have written about how it deals with the issue of children not wanting to bathe with whimsy and fantasy. As a librarian who works with Iñupiaq children I am GREATLY OFFENDED by the comments about Eskimos not taking baths and eating “gross” foods.
The illustrations and text do not do the people of the north any justice. The Iñupiaq people practice a subsistence lifestyle that many people may regard as “gross” because it is unfamiliar. Bowhead whales are harvested and used to feed the entire community. Maktak, or the skin and the blubber of the whale, is a tasty treat. I’ll admit, it is a bit of an acquired taste, but to write in a children’s book that it is “gross” is just plain wrong. I doubt that John Segal has ever embraced the opportunity to try whale blubber or walrus liver, but he actively writes, to a young audience no less, that it is not something good. There is an implication that there must be something intrinsically wrong about liking these foods.
Many reviewers have also complemented the illustrations. The illustrations of the “Eskimo” page are inaccurate. There are no mountains in the Arctic. The stereotypical use of the icehouse, often called an “igloo” by Westerners, is also inappropriate and wrong. Clothing is stereotypically portrayed as well. The animals are all angry looking and I think this might be because of the very poorly drawn whale. Bowhead whales do not have teeth; they have baleen. (However, I might be mistaken and this might be some type of other whale. What it would be, I’m not sure, but it isn’t as if attention to detail was important with the illustration of this book.)
I would suggest looking up the illustrations of Annie Patterson is one is interested in seeing accurate depictions of Arctic life. Whale Snow, by National Book Award Finalist Debby Dahl Edwardson, is illustrated by Annie and it is all about how the bowhead whales give themselves up to feed the community. Annie also incorporates contemporary Iñupiaq people and Arctic animals in her illustrations in the children’s book, Too Hot? Too Cold? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right. Both of these books have beautiful representations of Arctic life.
Pirates Don’t Take Baths is a book that I will return to the publisher. It will not be put on my library shelf. Negative stereotypes do not need to be enforced in children’s literature. I am disturbed by the number of librarians and teachers on GoodReads who are writing positive reviews and hinting at this book being nominated for awards. There should be no place in libraries or classrooms for children’s books that are judgmental and rude. When are the racist stereotypes about Native peoples going to be recognized by the larger literary community as being hurtful and detrimental? No child should ever open a book and discover a negative caricature of his or her self with text that demeans the culture in which he or she lives.
The illustrations and text do not do the people of the north any justice. The Iñupiaq people practice a subsistence lifestyle that many people may regard as “gross” because it is unfamiliar. Bowhead whales are harvested and used to feed the entire community. Maktak, or the skin and the blubber of the whale, is a tasty treat. I’ll admit, it is a bit of an acquired taste, but to write in a children’s book that it is “gross” is just plain wrong. I doubt that John Segal has ever embraced the opportunity to try whale blubber or walrus liver, but he actively writes, to a young audience no less, that it is not something good. There is an implication that there must be something intrinsically wrong about liking these foods.
Many reviewers have also complemented the illustrations. The illustrations of the “Eskimo” page are inaccurate. There are no mountains in the Arctic. The stereotypical use of the icehouse, often called an “igloo” by Westerners, is also inappropriate and wrong. Clothing is stereotypically portrayed as well. The animals are all angry looking and I think this might be because of the very poorly drawn whale. Bowhead whales do not have teeth; they have baleen. (However, I might be mistaken and this might be some type of other whale. What it would be, I’m not sure, but it isn’t as if attention to detail was important with the illustration of this book.)
I would suggest looking up the illustrations of Annie Patterson is one is interested in seeing accurate depictions of Arctic life. Whale Snow, by National Book Award Finalist Debby Dahl Edwardson, is illustrated by Annie and it is all about how the bowhead whales give themselves up to feed the community. Annie also incorporates contemporary Iñupiaq people and Arctic animals in her illustrations in the children’s book, Too Hot? Too Cold? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right. Both of these books have beautiful representations of Arctic life.
Pirates Don’t Take Baths is a book that I will return to the publisher. It will not be put on my library shelf. Negative stereotypes do not need to be enforced in children’s literature. I am disturbed by the number of librarians and teachers on GoodReads who are writing positive reviews and hinting at this book being nominated for awards. There should be no place in libraries or classrooms for children’s books that are judgmental and rude. When are the racist stereotypes about Native peoples going to be recognized by the larger literary community as being hurtful and detrimental? No child should ever open a book and discover a negative caricature of his or her self with text that demeans the culture in which he or she lives.
June 6, 2018
Pirates don't take baths is about an imaginative little pig who is trying to wiggle his way out of bath time. His mother seeks an imaginative way to get him in the bath.
The story is told entirely in dialogue.
It's a quick read and the kids liked it.
The ending is fun.
To note: this book makes it seem like a lot of people don't clean themselves, which is false, and can be offensive (towards cowboys, Eskimos, desert-dwellers etc.). When reading this book, you can let kids know that these little pigs have inaccurate perceptions of others, and that those stereotypes are not true. (You may also want to read it to yourself first, in case the children you're reading to are likely to be offended.)
The story is told entirely in dialogue.
It's a quick read and the kids liked it.
The ending is fun.
To note: this book makes it seem like a lot of people don't clean themselves, which is false, and can be offensive (towards cowboys, Eskimos, desert-dwellers etc.). When reading this book, you can let kids know that these little pigs have inaccurate perceptions of others, and that those stereotypes are not true. (You may also want to read it to yourself first, in case the children you're reading to are likely to be offended.)
April 15, 2011
A young pig does not want to take a bath... he claims to be a pirate because as everyone knows pirates don't take baths! His mother reminds him though that he gets seasick. Well, that's ok because he's a cowboy and cowboys don't take baths either! But, mother tells him, they have to sleep on the cold, hard ground. And on it goes with astronaut, knight, etc. This is a very cute bathtime book. Could be used in storytime (bath theme, PJ storytime, etc.) I really liked the watercolor illustrations. They are colorful without being overly bold. Simple shapes with nice details and expressive. -AM
April 25, 2011
Fun to readaloud to one or many, this story is about a pig who doesn't want to take his bath. He imagines himself in a whole myriad of situations that he believes would save him from the event. Each one is met with his mother's voice providing a reason why it's impossible. Illustrations add to the fun of the banter between pig and his mother.
Read
November 5, 2016I agree with other reviews - a good ending, but not executed quite the way I'd like.
June 16, 2019
In this story, the little pig denies to take a bath by suggesting various characters who might not take a bath, but the pig’s mother is wiser than him.
It was fun to read the excuses that the little pig argued to avoid taking a bath and his mother’s thoughtful rebuttals. What I was interested in while reading this picture book was that each characters’ environmental circumstances might influence their difficulties in taking a bath. For instance, pirates may not take a bath quite often because sea water was inappropriate for taking a bath. That is, pirates live in the middle of the water, but the water they can use and consume for their lives were rare to keep. When it comes to the life of astronauts, they take a bath but with less water because of their space circumstances. What I did not like about this book was the responses of the little pig and underlying intention of the mother pig’s question regarding Eskimo’s dietary. The mother pig said Eskimos eat whale blubber and walrus liver. I do not think those are gross as the little pig said. Dietary depends on their habitats and circumstances. Eskimos could not eat oranges and pizza as we eat for daily food. This conversation could influence biased images on Eskimos and negative responses toward others’ situations.
It was fun to read the excuses that the little pig argued to avoid taking a bath and his mother’s thoughtful rebuttals. What I was interested in while reading this picture book was that each characters’ environmental circumstances might influence their difficulties in taking a bath. For instance, pirates may not take a bath quite often because sea water was inappropriate for taking a bath. That is, pirates live in the middle of the water, but the water they can use and consume for their lives were rare to keep. When it comes to the life of astronauts, they take a bath but with less water because of their space circumstances. What I did not like about this book was the responses of the little pig and underlying intention of the mother pig’s question regarding Eskimo’s dietary. The mother pig said Eskimos eat whale blubber and walrus liver. I do not think those are gross as the little pig said. Dietary depends on their habitats and circumstances. Eskimos could not eat oranges and pizza as we eat for daily food. This conversation could influence biased images on Eskimos and negative responses toward others’ situations.
September 29, 2017
I wanted to like this book a lot as it has great imagination and perspective (of a child who tends to abhor baths - especially in place of play). My only critique is that becoming an Eskimo (which I believe is actually an offensive term) is included as one of the options for the pig in his efforts to avoid a bath. I don't like to see culture portrayed as a vocation or occupation. [You aren't born an astronaut or a cowboy. You might be born on a ranch, and raised to be a cowboy, but that is still not the same as being born into an indigenous culture.] There are also stereotypical references to what some of these people group's may include in their diet - which should really be off limits - and the author labels them gross via his main character. Otherwise a really fun and engaging read but this blunder would keep me from purchasing.
October 26, 2018
Fun book about a little pig not wanting to take a bath. He keeps coming up with excuses, parent keeps countering them with better reasons. In one spread the little pig decides to be an Eskimo - which is considered an inaccurate and offensive terms by many indigenous peoples. Parent tells him Eskimos eat blubber and liver which little pig then refers to as "gross." I will probably still use this book in my storytime and just skip that page. (I do that with other books that are too long or nonfiction books that I use to introduce different concepts to my preschoolers).
February 8, 2020
I love the interactions between mother and child as the mother pig tries to convince her child to take a bath and the little pig keeps insisting he is a certain character that does not take baths. The mother agrees that they may not take a bath but finds a negative that her child may not be able to deal with.
It's a cute back and forth and I love how it ends. I like the simple illustrations and how over all it is a really short, quick read.
It's a cute back and forth and I love how it ends. I like the simple illustrations and how over all it is a really short, quick read.
September 3, 2022
I really wanted to like it until I came to the page where little pig wants to be an Eskimo. The illustrations and words used to describe being an "Eskimo" is considered to be very offensive. Had it not been for that 2 page spread, I would have read this book to my story time group.
March 28, 2023
This is a cute story of a mom tricking her son into wanting to take a bath. The son claims “pirates don’t take baths” and continues to change his mind of what he is when his mom tells him something else pirates don’t do that scares him.
April 7, 2023
This was a silly book that captures the lengths a child will go to to not take a bath. I was glad to see there was a resolution to this story and the piggy found a way to make bath time fun and show readers it is not scary to take a bath.
September 16, 2025
Pirates Don’t Take Baths is a playful story about a young pig who pretends to be a pirate. He insists that pirates don’t have to take baths, but in the end he finds out that even pirates can enjoy being clean.
March 19, 2018
Read like a rip off of the Little Critter “Just Go to Bed.”
May 21, 2018
I thought this would be a good one to get kids to want to take a bath but really it's just about a parent tricking the child/pig into getting into the bathtub.
May 2, 2019
A cute little board book about how *everyone* has to take a bath. And how even a bath can be really fun!
March 7, 2020
Seems cute at first but then there are a couple of awful, stereotypical pages about 'Eskimos'.
January 15, 2021
I love the formatting of this book! The way it shows conversations is phenomenal. It was pretty cute and I enjoyed the ending.
July 14, 2022
Pirate Storytime
Little pig doesn't want to take a bath so he becomes all different types of characters to avoid the water.
Little pig doesn't want to take a bath so he becomes all different types of characters to avoid the water.
Read
July 23, 2022Overall good for a pirate/bath time theme, though I'd have to paper clip/skip those pages on the Eskimos.
May 1, 2023
A book about a little pig and house adventure on not wanting to take a bath
September 26, 2024
Silly & fun. 2 year old liked it too
August 3, 2025
Read this at the library. I liked the sarcasm of the mother ! The art style is very very pretty and the colors all mesh very well.
June 1, 2011
Okay, here you have the classic "I don't want to take a bath" bit melded with the equally classic Runaway Bunny sort of parent/child clash, told completely in dialogue. In this case it's Pig, who doesn't want to take a bath and his parent who counters each of his arguments with one of his/her own. Note that it includes one about it being hard to pee/poop in zero gee, in case that bugs you, but it will make preschoolers giggle for sure.
I'd also note that while Pig is probably a boy, his parent's gender is not certain from the pictures or text. Which is nice, as it could be dad or mom he's arguing with. LC citation does say his "mother", but as a Bloom County character once put it "No dice--cartoon characters aren't anatomically correct" and neither is Parent Pig...
All in all this is lots of fun, though the underwater scenes of the last few pages would have worked better as two single page illustrations or one double page spread--the left hand page seems crowded. But the double page ending that follows in terrific.
Kids will love this and with that cover of Pig in pirate garb, this will fly off the shelves here at my library and at any other library which has pirate loving kids. In other words, all of them!
I'd also note that while Pig is probably a boy, his parent's gender is not certain from the pictures or text. Which is nice, as it could be dad or mom he's arguing with. LC citation does say his "mother", but as a Bloom County character once put it "No dice--cartoon characters aren't anatomically correct" and neither is Parent Pig...
All in all this is lots of fun, though the underwater scenes of the last few pages would have worked better as two single page illustrations or one double page spread--the left hand page seems crowded. But the double page ending that follows in terrific.
Kids will love this and with that cover of Pig in pirate garb, this will fly off the shelves here at my library and at any other library which has pirate loving kids. In other words, all of them!
April 30, 2014
The book, Pirates Don’t Take Baths, written and illustrated by John Segal tells the tale of a little pig who will say just about anything to get out of taking a bath. This book incorporates two characters, a parent and child pig, but don’t have names. These characters rely on dialogue to develop throughout the book. The parental pig can be identified by its size and its dialogue, same for the child pig. The story involves a lot of questions posed by the parental pig as the child pig claims many identities to get out of taking a bath. There is definitely an aspect of comedy as the child pig realizes his attempts of getting out of his bath are not working. In the end the parental pig gets the child pig to take his bath by getting him to find buried treasure in the bathtub that represents the ocean. The illustrations really bring out the child pig’s imagination and help to express his multiple identities. The illustrations take up a whole page which would make them easily visible to students if this book is read aloud to them. I would use this book in my classroom as a pleasure book but to also be used as a tool to get my student’s to wonder why taking a bath is important. Setting an example to my students about personal hygiene is an important lesson to teach and a good routine to establish young.
April 5, 2016
Author-Illustrator John Segal is the creator of Pirates Don’t Take Baths. The story is based on a pig that refuses to take a bath. The pig comes up with many other people who do not have to take a bath. For example, he talks about astronauts, cowboys, pirates, knights and many more. In return, his mother expresses how although they may not have to take a bath, they face many other hardships in their life. At the end of the story, the pig is finally convinced to take shower by finding buried treasures at the bottom of the ocean, which is really the bathtub. The illustrations are simplistic and large. Students who are unable to read can still follow along with what is happening in the story through the images. I think this book connects very well with students of a young age who do not love to bathe. This story can teach students about the importance of personal hygiene and how it must be a part of the daily routine.
October 8, 2021
So, my youngest is absolutely terrifies of baths and showers. She's total fine crawling face first into a lake or even climbing into a pool. But some reason baths and showers send her into absolute panic. It's a lot of fun in a hotel in the middle of the night and she screaming bloody murder because she got sick in the middle of the night and we had to give her a bath. So, I try to find books that can help her understand that baths and showers are okay and can be fun. This book is absolutely adorable and cute for preschoolers to read. I think all parents have dealt with kids not wanting to get clean. The illustrations in this book are simple but it really works in this text. The story-line is adorable and its so true with preschoolers. This book is worth checking out and adding to your list.
July 28, 2011
Bath time is often dreaded by children, and in this picture book, a reluctant pig uses every excuse he can dream up to avoid taking that bath. But his mother, not to be outdone, has a response for his every argument, even coming up with a reason for him to get in that water. The pencil and watercolor illustrations show the intrepid young explorer in various sorts of poses. The pig profiles worked well, but I didn't like the illustrations that showed both eyes in odd places. This one will be well received as a read aloud and a celebration of those imaginative youngsters in our lives. Pair this one with Chicks Run Wild by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Ward Jenkins that shows a mother's wisdom in getting her kids to go to bed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews