The Big Bath House

Kyo Maclear's "The Big Bath House" offers a delightful cultural experience that appeals to both children and adults.This heartwarming tale weaves together themes of family, tradition, and women, centered around a Japanese bath house.As the story unfolds, readers are treated to the familiar and comforting routine of getting ready for a communal bath at Baachan's place or Grandma's house.The sound of wooden sandals clacking and the rustling of traditional robes or Yukata's create an atmosphere of anticipation.The illustrations add to the intimacy of the experience, depicting smiling women and girls washing and laughing together in the steaming water.There is a sense of belonging and acceptance in this communal space, as bodies of all shapes and sizes are embraced.Overall, "The Big Bath House" is a lovely story that captures a unique childhood memory worth sharing and experiencing.It celebrates the beauty of shared rituals and the joy of coming together in community.

A child who appears to be mixed-race visits her Japanese grandmother, and all the ladies go off to the onsen (communal bathhouse), where they wash themselves off and enjoy the camaraderie of a good soak together in the steaming hot water. Younger bodies, older ones, heavier ones, and thinner ones are shown in jolly illustrations.

I love this story. That said, the illustrations in the onsen are nude ... gorgeously nude, but still problematic in an elementary school. I will keep this books to be available, but probably not on display. Love the multicultural purpose but nudity will always be a thorny issue in the US. From School Library Journal: "The nudity is developmentally appropriate for mid-elementary students, though the book may be more suitable for family or one-on-one sharing than classroom use."

Must read for everyone of all ages: teaches acceptance and pride in our physical bodies as opposed to the shame we are often made to feel about our bodies - especially as women. Great piece of art!

The last thing I expected was for my child to open a children’s book full of naked women and children. We work hard to teach our children about body safety, keeping private parts private, only to have books like this normalize it. In America, where our child abuse statistics are out of control and child porn addiction beginning as early as age 9, normalizing this in a children book is beyond gross. This book will be shelved next to Corduroy and Dr. Seuss at the library for your child to discover while browsing.

Fresh, lyrical, and luscious language evoke the immediacy of a warm family ritual of love through loving action and relaxing play. Gorgeous art shares the unabashed beauty of all bodies, brimming with life.

This book is a soft core porn children’s book. This book will be in the kids section of your public library. Get it removed immediately.

The Big Bath House is a charming, upbeat story celebrating multigenerational families and body positivity. A young girl, her Baachan, and aunties visit a traditional Japanese bathhouse. This book takes me back to my childhood! I remember being so shy on these visits to the communal tubs when I was a girl, but the characters in this book undress, wash, scrub, and let it all hang out with complete joy and confidence. I love the underlying message that love can be nonverbal and transcends language when sharing time together. Kyo Maclear's text has lovely details, such as "aunties with big stories and bigger purses." As the characters enter the bathhouse, the rhythm and mood are matched with a bit of rhyme that flows briefly and easily, just like their time spent together. Gracey Zhang's watercolor illustrations are loose and fluid, leaving enough to see and a splash to imagine. This book is puddles of delight!

I am a tutor for young children and I read many books with them as we learn English together. I will be using this book because it is a fabulously illustrated story, and a cultural gem.Fear of the body is a peculiarly Middle Eastern Religion thing and it is enraging. Ordinary interactions with naked humans are so rare that we have become LESS human. At least in the West we can strip down to near nudity, while in other cultures, nudity is simply being, well, human.I am sure this lovely book will be banned far and wide but the fact it is here on Amazon is a clanging reminder that one people's phobia is not another's!!I love the story but it is Gracey Zhang's illustrations, richly coloured and detailed, and perfectly matched with the intentions of the author, that give this book such worth! I urge you to check out Zhang's own kid's book, Lala's Words, which is as beautifully illustrated, matched with a subtle tale about how good words can do great things.A happy smile for everyone involved with this book!George YoungMontreal, Canada