President Taft Is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Chris Van Dusen (2014)

About a century ago, our fattest (to-date) president, William Howard Taft, may or may not have gotten stuck in a bathtub.  I'm starting to really dig Mac Barnett's books, and this one is no exception - he takes the premise that he was stuck in the bath, and one by one calls in the First Lady, the VP, and all the cabinet to help him out.  Each have a unique solution to get him out; the end result is cute as a button.   Plenty of repetition and a nearly sing-song quality and near rhymes would make this fun to read aloud too - how about for President's Day? The last pages tell the "real" story.  Strong illustrations throughout.

President Taft Is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm a sucker for books about presidents and first ladies -  (So You Want to Be President? is a favorite of mine), so I opened this book up with a happy heart.  Mac Barnett and Chris Van Dusen did not disappoint.  About a hundred years ago, our largest (to-date) president may (or may not: see the end pages) have gotten stuck in his bathtub.  Barnett, who is once again a hoot of a storyteller - has Taft calling to the First Lady, VP, and every cabinet member (it's a civics lesson too!) who each have a unique solution to the president's soapy dilemma.  The strong illustrations and almost sing-songy, near-rhyme prose would make this a great President's Day read aloud too.


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