Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
The title character in this madcap picture book is a most engaging reptile. One sympathizes with the boa's quizzical expression when his master recounts, ``With soap in hand and water hot,/ I called my boa to the spot./ `It's dinnertime,' I sweetly lied,/ but not a sound did he reply.'' Wisely, the boa hides out in his master's toy chest, wearing a false nose and mustache. When the boy finally finds him, a rollicking struggle ensues, and they both end up in the bath. ``I should have known that I'd get wet,/ for every time I bathe my pet,/ this very thing is what I see . . . ./ My boa ends up scrubbing ME!'' Readers couldn't ask for a sillier idea or a more frolicsome execution, although some of the rhymes are clumsy. But only a sourpuss would complain about this disarming book. (4-8)
Children's Literature
- Mary Quattlebaum
This is a zany story in rhyme that was inspired by Kudrna's own boa buddy, who actually likes to be scrubbed with a loofah. Sliding and looping and slinking along, the boa manages to evade his young master until he's sloshed at last in the tub where he begins scrubbing the boy! Full of literal and figurative twists, the book is rambunctious and fun. My favorite illustration reveals the boa hiding in a toybox and wearing a Groucho Marx disguise.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1 ``A boa has no greater wrath,/ than when he doesn't want a bath,'' so a boa owner must use any and all means to get his pet into the tub. In this caselies, food bribes, and, finally, a physical struggle before both boy and boa land in hot water. Brightly colored cartoon-style drawings filled with exaggerated proportions and humorous detail (including the boa disguised in Groucho Marx nose and glasses) typify the story's slapstick silliness. Unfortunately, the writing isn't as successful as the art in conveying the fun. The narrative rhyme is awkward, slight, and obviously forced, giving the feeling of a rushed or unfinished product. These same qualities that will elicit groans from adults will inspire giggles from children. The book will circulate, but it will supply only a few passing chuckles. Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, Wis.
