Tubtime

This is an amiable but not especially original bathtime fantasy, in which the mud-loving O'Mally sisters discover that their bubble pipes create animals as well as suds. Six chickens, 12 frogs and one hungry alligator are thus conjured; the latter's all-too-clear intentions provide a moment of mild suspense before the menacing creature is pushed harmlessly out the window. Woodruff's conceit is similar to those in previous bathtime stories, including David McPhail's Andrew's Bath and Emilie McLeod's One Snail and Me . But the action in Tubtime is less antic--and thus less satisfying--than the exuberant romps in either of those works, and the language less colorful and sure. Stevenson's illustrations are cheery as ever, but they take on a certain sameness from page to page. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)