The Big Bath House by Maclear, Kyo

A joyful celebration of Japanese cultural traditions and body positivity as a young girl visits a bath house with her grandmother and aunties

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY New York Public Library - NPR - Publishers Weekly - Kirkus Reviews - Horn Book - The American Library Association - ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project

You'll walk down the street / Your aunties sounding like clip-clopping horses / geta-geta-geta / in their wooden sandals / Until you arrive... / At the bath house / The big bath house.

In this celebration of Japanese culture and family and naked bodies of all shapes and sizes, join a little girl--along with her aunties and grandmother--at a traditional bath house. Once there, the rituals leading up to the baths begin: hair washing, back scrubbing, and, finally, the wood barrel drumroll. Until, at last, it's time, and they ease their bodies--their creased bodies, newly sprouting bodies, saggy, jiggly bodies--into the bath. Ahhhhhh!

With a lyrical text and gorgeous illustrations, this picture book is based on Kyo Maclear's loving memories of childhood visits to Japan, and is an ode to the ties that bind generations of women together.

Author: Kyo Maclear
Publisher: Random House Studio
Published: 11/16/2021
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 10.10h x 10.10w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780593181959
Audience: Ages 4-8

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2021
Publishers Weekly 09/06/2021
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 10/01/2021 - Book Of Special Distinction
School Library Journal 09/17/2021 pg. 1
Horn Book Magazine 11/01/2021 pg. 77
Booklist 11/01/2021 pg. 68
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2021 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Kyo Maclear is a critically acclaimed author whose books have received starred reviews, appeared on numerous "Best of" lists, and been published in multiple languages around the world. One of her picture books, Virginia Wolf, has been adapted for the stage, and another, Julia, Child, is currently being adapted into an animated television series. Visit her on the web at kyomaclear.com.

Gracey Zhang is a freelance illustrator and animator. She graduated with her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her first author-illustrator picture book, Lala's Words, will be published in 2021 by Scholastic. Visit her on the web at graceyzhang.com.