Queen Victoria's Bathing Machine by Gloria Whelan

Queen Victoria's Bathing Machine 
Words by Gloria Whelan 
Pictures by Nancy Carpenter
Format: hardback

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Copyright: 2014

Pages:  40

Genre: Historical fiction picture book
Source: library

Summary paraphrased from Amazon:
Poor Queen Victoria! She loves to swim, but can’t quite figure out how to get to the water without her devoted subjects glimpsing her swimming suit. (Because, of course, such a sight would compromise her regal dignity.) Fortunately for the water-loving monarch, it’s Prince Albert to the rescue with an invention fit for a queen!

This quirky tale about the longest reigning monarch in British history is as fun as it is authentic, and the book includes a picture of the actual bathing machine Prince Albert created [Except he didn't create it!].

I have to say that for the most part this is a pretty cute book. It is based (sorta) on historical events - Queen Victoria really did have a bathing machine but Albert did not design it. They existed prior to Victoria becoming Queen - possibly even as far back as 1750. For example, here is an 1829 engraving by William Heath ...

Right - so this is what is really known ... 
(from https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/osborne/beach/queen-victoria/)

"Drove to the beach with my maids and went in the bathing machine, where I undressed and bathed in the sea (for the 1st time in my life)… I thought it delightful till I put my head under water, when I thought I should be stifled." Queen Victoria's Journal 30 July 1847

Prince Albert believed that sea bathing was beneficial to health, and a bathing machine was installed at Osborne in 1846 at his request, so that Victoria could enjoy the waters. 

See it fully restored on the beach that Victoria enjoyed with her family. This curious object was used by the queen to preserve her modesty. It has a veranda at the front where curtains concealed her from view whilst she bathed. 

Inside is a changing room and a plumbed in toilet. The whole contraption was run into the sea from the beach along a long ramp, and pulled back using a wire rope and winch!

So the story is not actually historical - but still fun. Plus it is written in rhyme (and mostly works). So it is, for the most part, quite cute. The artwork is well done, though Victoria's nine children keep making me think of the Maurice Sendack's Nutshell Kids stylistically. Not a problem - just took some getting used to.

So - I was very much enjoying it and thinking of taking it home to share with my daughter - then I hit the fat joke and stopped liking it. Seriously why the heck was that necessary. Not funny. Not even remotely.  My daughter is only six, 6, for Pete's sake and she is already asking me questions like "Am I fat?" I have no desire to explain to my daughter why the Queen is being compared to a skiff. The only saving grace, I suppose, is that the term whale didn't enter into things. There was absolutely NO REASON to go there. None at all.

I went from quite liking the book (especially the endnotes) to being pretty much disgusted.

Some Bedtime Book recomendations from Leopard

My little Leopard, who is six, has re-discovered Mo Willems books. She would like everyone to know that The Pigeon Needs a Bath is a funny book and she loves it. 

We picked up the new Pigeon book last week and have already read it a couple dozen times. She still laughs each time. We have been alternating reading it - I read it to her and then she reads it to me, which is lots of fun. She really likes talking back to the pigeon (like telling the Pigeon 'NO!' when you read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.)


Leopard has also gotten enamored with the Elephant and Piggie books. We checked a few out from the library and she has been reading them to herself over and over. There is much play acting and emoting involved, so it is lots of fun to watch :)

The best part for her are the expressions of the characters. She loves it when a character bats their eyes, sticks out their tongue, or twirls around saying 'La La La!'

Her favorites so far are Watch Me Throw the Ball!, My New Friend is So Fun! and There is a Bird on Your Head! (So far it has been which ever one is the newest, really).

This mother senses many, many more Mo Willems books in our future.  Leopard is already demanding the rest of the Pigeon books. 

 
One last recommendation from Leopard - the Gossie & Friends by Olivier Dunrea. We have read Gossie, Gossie & Gertie, Ollie, and Ollie the Stomper so far and I am under orders to get more of these books as well. They are really cute books that had previously been available only as board books but have recently started showing up in early reader form. They are really cute and have turned into bedtime reading for the past couple of weeks. These books also have room for emoting and giggling.

Note from the Mommy - these books are all geared towards young children (6 and under) so they are very short. My daughter is very visually orientated and for bedtime really seems to like uncluttered clear drawings that have a lot of character. Mo Willem and Olivier Dunrea books are fantastic with this - their characters show a huge range of emotions even though they drawings are quite simple in design. Plus - they are quite cute and there are enough of them out there I am not losing my mind reading the same book over and over and over and over ... at least too much. 

Books Read with My Daughter During the Blizzard

This is the first attempt at a review from my 6 year-old daughter. She loves leopards, so this picture of a young leopard from the zoo is going to be her symbol for this blog.
So far we have read ...

Pinkalicious and the Cupcake Calamity by Victoria Kann 32 pages

"I like this book. Pinkalicious was in the machine and she turned on a lever and the machine blew up and there was like a huge cupcake. And the ice cream man said, 'Are you okay?' Pinkalicious smiled and she said, 'Yes.'"

Pinkalicious: Puptastic! by Victoria Kann 32 pages
"Pinkalicious was going to have a dog, because she was going to take care of the dog because some people were going somewhere and the dog was scared. But, when the dog was taking a bath, Pinkalicious accidently poured her Momma's Pink soap into the bathtub. The dog was happy. The dog did everything that Pinkalicious wanted the dog to do."

Pinkalicious: The Princess of Pink Slumber Party by Victoria Kann 32 pages
"Pinkalicious's friends were having a sleepover. But the pink one was scared. But she figured out that sleepovers weren't scary at all, but were happy and fun and friendly. And then Pinkalicous had some magic and there was a real dragon out her window. The dragon blinked."

Penny and her Song by Kevin Henkes 32 pages
"Penny had a song. She learned it from school. She tried to sing it in different kinds of places, but Mom and Dad didn't like the times she tried to sing. Then Penny said, "Now can I sing ?" Mom and Dad said after dinner. Then after dinner she sang.  Penny's song was "One is nice. Two is nice. Three is even better. Four is nice. Five is nice. Six in rain is even wetter. Seven is nice. Eight is nice. Nine is almost best. But ten is even bigger, and better than the rest."

All of these books have received the Leopard seal of approval. We actually read some more but this is the limit of what I can type while my daughter is dictating while sitting on my lap. I seem to have lost circulation in my leg.