In this debut, bathtime inspires a boy to imagine himself a sea captain worthy of Russell Crowe in full Master and Commander
mode. Kay’s text combines a rollicking, operatic narrative (“The storms would rage,/ the waves would swell./ 'Man the ropes!’ young Snip would yell”) with an infectious refrain (“in the clipper ship/ that his mother called the bathtub”). It’s “Blow the Man Down” meets “The Mulberry Bush.” As an illustrator, Kay makes some intriguing color choices; working in pastels and acrylics, she renders the sea as thick lime green with purple swells and glints of blood orange. But while there’s significant promise in these pages, there’s also lack of polish. The meter often runs aground, and Gulliver can look wooden. Just short of first-class. Ages 4–7. (June)
