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What you never knew about tubs, toilets, and showers
Lauber, Patricia. 2001. What you
never knew about tubs, toilets, and showers. Ill. by John
Manders. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN: 0689824203.
In a book that Engelfried labels "lighthearted but fact-filled," Lauber
walks readers through the history of toiletry practices. Although the
information focus mainly on the Europeans, there is also information
about bathing in the Stone-Age and other areas such as Spain, Japan,
and India.
Lauber writes in a conversational style and seems to share the reader's
wonder and amusement at the subject matter. Her text is very
matter-of-fact and sometimes displays dry humor, such as "Later, in
England, one of the cleanest people was Elizabeth I, who also had a
proud boast: I take a bath once a
month, whether I need it or not. Elizabeth prided herself on
having a keen sense of smell. She carried a container of spices to
cover up the bad smells around her. There must have been many. Her
court seldom bathed. Neither did her subjects." (Lauber, unpaged)
Although this book covers many of the different stages of the evolution
of bathroom facilities, Lauber's information is not overly detailed or
heavyhanded. She presents a few relevant details about each stage of
the development and then moves on. Engelfried states in his review, "A
conversational tone make the text accessible, with just enough facts
and figures included to give the information substance. Specific
details and general observations work together to create an
entertaining overview of the topic."
Manders's illustrations are a highlight of this book. Bright colors and
subjects drawn as caricatures further add to Lauber's levity. Sieruta
says in his review, "The cartoonish illustrations, in watercolor and
gouache, provide informative depictions of specific historical objects
and events, discreetly handle the book's necessary nudity, find the fun
in some outlandish situations (such as Louis XIV receiving visitors
while perched on a different kind of throne), and include kid-pleasing
gross-out moments involving chamber pots and brimming buckets of waste."
The design of this short picture book is well organized in displaying
its subject matter. Most of each double page spread is devoted to
bathing, while information about toilet practices of the time is set
apart on a blue background. Each new subtopic within the world of
bathing and toiletry is announced by headings that tell the location
and also the theme of their thoughts on bathing, such as "The World
Beyond Europe: Clean Means Pure." (Lauber, unpaged) Text and
illustrations are often alternated throughout each double page spread,
and it is easy to determine which illustration goes with which bit of
text. The headings and letters that begin each paragraph are typed in a
large, stylized font that set them apart from the rest of the text.
More detail is added by "illuminating" the first letter of the first
paragraph of each section by placing the letter over a relevant
graphic. The main text is typed in a large serif font.
Lauber includes a short bibliograpy that contains twelve citations.
There is also an artist's note that describes Manders's own research,
creative process, and materials used.
Engelfried, Steven. 2001. What you never knew about tubs, toilets, and
showers (book review). School
Library Journal 47(6). In
EBSCOHost (database online). Available
from http://search.epnet.com/login.asp. Accessed 22 March 2005.
Sieruta, Peter D. What you never knew about tubs, toilets, and showers
(book review). Horn Book Magazine
77(3). In
EBSCOHost (database online). Available
from http://search.epnet.com/login.asp. Accessed 22 March 2005.
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