The tenth and final 2016 Missouri Building Block Award nominee is “Get Out of My Bath!” by Britta Teckentrup. In this story Ellie the Elephant is enjoying her bath and, with the assistance of the readers, makes some amazing waves.
Unfortunately, Ellie’s bath is interrupted when a crocodile, flamingo, tiger and mouse all crowd into Ellie’s bath. Ellie no longer has enough room to play and demands that the other animals get out. However, the other animals are having too much fun, so they ignore Ellie. The reader is then prompted to help Ellie remove the other animals, allowing her to resume her bath time activities in peace.
This book encourages children to hold and interact with it. Children not only get to turn the pages, but they also get to sway the book to the left and the right to help Ellie with her bath. “Get Out of My Bath” lends itself wonderfully to retelling with pictures, stuffed animals or puppets. This gives children the chance to practice their narrative skills (the ability to describe things and to talk about events and tell stories). Developing these skills strengthens your child’s ability to read and write.
After you and your child read “Get Out of My Bath,” try out some activities related to to book.
- Chant the “Five Elephants in the Bathtub” rhyme.
- Blow bubbles!
- Take a bath while listening to fun songs like “Bathtime” by Raffi and Sesame Street’s “Rubber Duckie.”
- Come to the one of our Missouri Building Blocks Story Times.
Once you have read at least five Missouri Building Block nominees, help your child vote for their favorite.
