Bathe the Cat

Bathe the floor? Sweep the dishes? This riotous romp of a picture book follows a frantic family as they try to get some chores done—with no help from the family cat, who keeps scrambling the list of chores with hilarious effects. Get ready for a rollicking read-aloud with a truly purrfect ending. 

It's cleaning day, but the family cat will do anything to avoid getting a bath. So instead of mopping the floor or feeding the fish, the family is soon busy rocking the rug, vacuuming the lawn, and sweeping the dishes. Bouncy rhyme carries the story headlong into the growing hilarity, until finally Dad restores some kind of order—but will the cat avoid getting his whiskers wet?

Dad and Papa are the heads of this large and loving biracial family, mirroring illustrator David Robert's own orientation and providing picture book readers with a positive depiction of LGBTQ+ characters in a fun and funny family story.

Alice McGinty is a prolific author of books for children, and David Roberts is well-known for his work on the popular Questioneers series. Together, their upbeat text and energetic art with pops of neon color make for a standout picture book, just right for gifting and enjoying together at storytime.

Little Wares Thoughts: We love this silly, fun story and we especially love that it represents a biracial family with two Dads. We firmly believe that love is love and it is perfectly okay to teach your children that families aren't just made up of a Mom and a Dad. Exposing your little ones to reality through fun, family literature is a beautiful way to normalize life and segway into important conversations.