Originally published in 1989, Pam Conrad wrote the cute and witty children's book, The Tub People. The story is beautifully illustrated by famous children's illustrator, Richard Egielski. Written around a family of plastic tub toys, the tub people are introduced and sent through a whirlwind of emotions as the Tub child gets lost one day.
Their favorite game to play was Sea Captain, where the Tub Father pretends to be the Sea Captain as the other Tub family members stand on the bar of soap floating through the water. The Tub Child likes to purposefully fall off the soap and land in the water so the Father can rescue him.
But one day the Tub Family is still in the water when the tub begins to drain and the Tub Child is lost down the pipes. For many days the Tub Family would float on the water desperately hoping to find the child.
A plumber eventually comes and saves the day as the Tub Family is finally reunited by the end of the story. As a child I would refuse to take a bath unless all of my bath toys were coming with me. This sweet story brought to life a favorite childhood memory for me as it also brought to life these lovable bath toys. For those of you who still have not read this clever story feel free to listen to this reading of The Tub People.
One of the most fun ways to write a children's story that will be intriguing to children is by finding a way to combine fantastical elements and imagination into something that children regular interact with. Conrad brilliantly weaves together this combination into The Tub People. What do you think?
What a fun post! I'm sure a lot of parents find this entertaining and helpful in regards to their own children. This can be a new book they read to their kids.
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