Bathe the Cat

With a visit from Grandma imminent, our interracial family have a lot to do to get the house in order. From cleaning the floor to tidying up the living room and cleaning the pets, Dad presents a list of jobs on the fridge using magnetic letters. However, when the family cat spots a task that sets their hair on end – what cat wants to be bathed? – chaos ensues as our cunning feline begins to mix up all the letters and present hilarious new jobs instead.

Soon the family are scrubbing fishes, rocking rugs and feeding the floor and each time Dad rearranges the letters again, the cat returns and causes more mischief. Will our little family get everything in order in time or will the home be left in chaos?

Roberts’ digitally-enhanced pencil and watercolours provide the images and strong use of white space allows us to enjoy each character and their expressions of utter confusion when tasked with odd jobs that don’t make sense thanks to our mischievous marmalade moggy. Alongside this is McGinty’s assured, bouncy, rhyming verse that carries the narrative flow and bumps and jolts at all the right moments: this is a picturebook that should be read aloud.

I especially loved the addition of same-sex parents which is not central to the narrative but has been normalised and, alongside the light and dark skin tones of their children, is far richer for it. This is a book that is sure to invite repeated rereadings and giggles – the cat’s crafty expressions alone are worth the ride.