About the Book
"There are no baths at camp!" says Max, when his mother starts filling the tub. But as he recounts his week's activities, he realizes that there were many fun ways he got clean at summer camp.
About the Author :
Tamar Fox has an M.F.A. from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. from the University of Iowa. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post and The Jerusalem Post. She lives in New York. This is her first children's book.
Natalia Vasquez is a freelance illustrator living in Lima, where she studied painting at the local fine arts school. She works with a variety of media including pencil, ink, watercolor and digital art. She has illustrated both English and Spanish children's books.
Review :
Have a delicious romp through this amusing story filled with joy and Jewish content. Max does not wish to take his after-dinner bath. He counters his mother with information gleaned from his own experience that despite such grief at home, there are no baths at camp! He proceeds to outline his weekly activities at Jewish, summer, sleep-over camp, each one escalating in dirt and mess, each one not ruined by a bath at the end. The litany of sullied, not spoiled, comes from his age appropriate point of view. Meanwhile, the illustrations indicate the alternative cleaning methods, alternatives he does not register, from rustic spigots, through hoses, hand sanitizers, fresh water lakes, even water balloons, to showers that include hair washes. The picture book repeats these illustrations on the last two-page spread for readers who miss the joke. The tale is fun, to the point, and excellently explicit about Jewish cultural life (sometimes by text, sometimes by picture). In the warm hilarity, there is no feeling the little boy is duped; every age reader smiles. The art is cute, in keeping with the tone, mobile, colorful and age appropriate. One illustration gripe: an adult, the camp director yet, stands on a chair, a school no-no. It is so refreshing to find a genuinely funny Jewish story without moralizing or teaching. Recommended with glee, especially in paperback where two copies cost less than one hardback.--AJL Newsletter
-- "Magazine"
Max insists that he never took a bath the entire time he was at summer camp.
When Mom announces bathtime, Max gives her a complete account of all his adventures, with lots of grimy details, from Sunday to Saturday of each week. There's rock climbing, theatrics, marshmallow roasting, canoeing and swimming, painting and barefoot dancing. This particular camp focuses on Jewish traditions. They perform scenes from the Old Testament, dance the hora, and on Friday night observe Shabbat, lighting the candles, saying the blessings and eating a special meal. Saturday is spent quietly with walks, stories and conversations until sundown, when they say goodbye to the sweetness of the Sabbath. Max narrates his story in simple descriptive language and syntax, joyfully emphasizing that there were no baths on the schedule. Vasquez's double-paged, bright, textured illustrations clue readers into Max's misleading assertions. He may not have taken baths, but there he is washing at the water pump, splashing in the spray from the hose, having a jolly water-balloon fight and happily taking a shower and shampoo before sundown on Shabbat. Of course Max takes his bath, albeit reluctantly, obliging his Mom. Fox maintains a light, nonpreachy touch, weaving details of children's participation in Jewish traditions with the universal fun of summer camp.
Charming, funny and appealing. --Kirkus Reviews-- "Journal"
Max's response to his mother's attempts to convince him to take a bath is to consistently make it clear that there were 'no baths at camp, ' where everything was fun; his question is, why are they required at home? Rock climbing, drama (even when ending with the campers covered in face paint), campfires, canoeing, art, music, and Israeli dance do not require baths afterwards, even when the campers get full of dirt. Only before sundown on Friday is it mandatory for everyone to take a shower. Max makes his mother fully aware of all the wonderful activities he does in camp, bringing home the sense of enjoyment his summer adventures bring. The rich Shabbat experience in camp is described in great detail, from Kiddush on Friday night through Havdalah on the lake at the end of Shabbat. Illustrations are age appropriate; their feeling is as whimsical as the story, and wholly appropriate to the tone and spirit of the book. They fill the horizontal pages with green and brown colors representing the outdoors. The illustrations very clearly show alternative ways in which the camp makes sure that the campers stay clean, using hoses, swimming, and passing around hand sanitizer after the campfire. Jewish content is positive and culturally re-enforcing for the campers. This is a light-hearted, amusing, and recommended story which would be perfect as a read-to for preschoolers or as an independent read for ages 6-8. -- Jewish Book World
-- "Magazine"
