No Baths At Camp

Max, the hero of what is really a clever exercise in reverse psychology, could just be the secret weapon that parents (and Jewish educators) are looking for in convincing recalcitrant kids to give Jewish camp a try. Resisting his mother's attempts to get him into the tub, Max regales her with stories of the special activities he had Sunday through Thursday at camp%E2%80%94none of which culminate in a bath ("On Wednesdays we go canoeing in the lake. The water is green and muddy and sometimes we catch frogs%E2%80%A6but there are NO BATHS AT CAMP!") So does Max ever take a bath at camp? Sure, in preparation for Shabbat %E2%80%9324 hours that are so magical in so many ways that even the most defiantly schmutzy (dirty) kid would deem the occasion bath-worthy. Vasquez's (Ten Little Apples) collaged scenes of non-stop camp life, created from cutout drawings and photographic elements (a blazing campfire made of a photo of flames is particularly impressive) bring to life Fox's cheery but literal text, and lend an appropriately arts-and-crafts feel to the pages. Brimming with what veteran Jewish campers will immediately recognize as ruach (spirit), this book should prompt many youngsters to ask, "Am I old enough to go?" Ages 3-8 (Mar.)