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Down the Drain

by Robert Munsch; Michael Martchenko, illus.

Robert Munsch has done it again. The prolific storyteller’s latest book keeps up the high standard of silliness we’ve come to expect from Canada’s King of KidLit. The familiar formula of repetition, exaggeration, and humour that has made Munsch a household name are used to good effect in Down the Drain.

When Adam bounces a little too high on his backyard trampoline, he lands in a pile of ashes from a recent campfire. That means it’s time for a bath, and, like many kids, Adam does not like baths. His dad manages to drag him to the bathroom and turn on the water, but then gets distracted by a series of phone calls. By the time he returns, the whole bathroom has filled up, and Adam, his little sister, the cat, and the dog are floating merrily underwater. It’s not hard to guess what happens when Adam finally pulls the plug. (Hint: note the title.)

Michael Martchenko’s goofy watercolours are well suited to Munsch’s hyperbolic tone, which is probably why the two have been paired together on so many books.

Any kid in need of a bath will relate to Down the Drain. So will any child who both yearns for more autonomy and is terrified of achieving it.

 

Reviewer: Chelsea Donaldson

Publisher: Scholastic Canada

DETAILS

Price: $6.99

Page Count: 32 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 978-0-545-98600-7

Released: Feb.

Issue Date: 2009-6

Categories: Picture Books

Age Range: 4-7