First let me thank Netgalley for an advanced digital copy. I thought this book was too cute. I loved the illustrations and the story line which I feel is great for both boys and girls. The story follows Sloppy, the tree dragon, and his first bath ever and his feelings. I would definitely recommend this to kids of all ages especially ones that may be afraid of water or bath time.

This is a lovely picture book that would be great to read before bathtime! The illustrations are beautiful and engaging.

I was so happy to find this new one about Sloppy and Dewdrop! The first book was so fun I had to purchase it to read to the littles in my life; now I will have to get this one! Such sweet little characters and beautiful settings. I love the illustrations-so00 cute! Nice little stories for small ones and even early grade school fairy and dragon fans.

Sloppy Takes the Plunge is a picture book about a dragon who has never taken a bath. Sloppy is a mess when he meets up with a friend who will not hug him because she does not want to get mucky. She instead convinces him to take a bath. He is reluctant at first, but discovers getting clean is just as fun as getting dirty. This book has cute illustrations, but aside from having a dragon for a main character, it is not particularly different from other books I've read on a similar topic.

I have reviewed one children’s book before and it made me realise that such books are actually fun to look into. So, when I registered to NetGalley, I looked at the available publications for kids, and Sloppy Takes the Plunge immediately caught my attention because of its cover image.

I have to confess that I have an abhorrence of vulgarly colourful children’s books. Of course that they need to be exciting for the little ones but striving to make a publication appealing and interesting should not entitle the illustrators and publishers to create works that might corrupt the taste of the next generation. A baby, a toddler, a little kid is at the most impressible age — whatever they see they might unconsciously carry with them forever. I’m not saying that we should keep showing paintings by Rembrandt or Da Vinci to them, but we can choose to surround them with art that is both light and pleasing and is of high quality. That is why Sloppy has earned an excellent rating from me: the illustrator has a soft, harmonious, refined style, and he has created a very neat and charming little book.

I also couldn’t help loving Sloppy, this adorable tree dragon who loves getting muddy and is afraid that sharks and crocodiles will nibble his toes if he ventures into the pond to have a bath. His little friend, Dewdrop is a kind, supportive person, who also knows the importance of hygiene; and I especially liked the ducks in the supporting roles. As an author, you really cannot go wrong with adding fluffy yellow ducklings.

The plot — given that we are talking about a children’s book — is not overly complicated. Sloppy is muddy and wants to hug his friend, who requests that he takes a bath first. Of course as adults we see through such stories, we understand their didactic nature, and we might become bored. But the young children that such books are aimed at, will not mind, and I think we can all agree that it is better to read a simpler, calmer story to them than letting them watch a horror movie. The latter is without doubt stimulating but just as harmful to their developing identity. It’s better to be on the safe side.

Besides, I think that the author must have a great sense of humour because one of the illustrations seem to be in fact a tongue-in-cheek note to the parents who read the book to their children. On one of the pictures, the pond is equipped with a drain-plug which makes the parallel between Sloppy and a child who doesn’t want to get clean just way too obvious. That drain-plug is a like a small conspiratorial side glance, a wink or an all-knowing smile that the adults can exchange.

Sloppy the Dragon is dirty, very dirty and his friend Dewdrop wants to give him a hug, but not before he's had a bath! The problem is Sloppy has never had a bath and he's not so sure about it. What if there are sharks or crocodiles in the there? Will Sloppy brave the water and find out if getting clean is as much fun as getting dirty?
Super cute illustrations and a sweet story make this a great read.

Super sweet! The illustrations are unique and spot on for this story about a tree dragon in need of a bath. Dewdrop tries to convince Sloppy that he's muddy and needs a bath but Sloppy rather not for a variety of reasons. Eventually, Dewdrop succeeds and Sloppy conquers his fear of taking a bath with fun outcome.

There are not enough Awwwwweeeeeeees for this book. Move over Puff, Sloppy is here to befriend kids, get them clean, and then get them dirty all over again. Sloppy is a tree dragon, and can you believe he has NEVER had a bath? I bet he smells. He will have to be brave and strong, after all he doesn’t want the little ducks to be afraid of a bath, so why should he be afraid. Simply lovely.

Sloppy takes The Plunge is a beautifully illustrated book the my grandson loved. It tells the story of Sloppy the tree dragon who loves splashing around in muddy puddles. It’s only when his friend refuses to hug him that he understands that he needs to get clean in order to get a hug. The book is an easy read and kept my grandson entertained.

A lovely children's book perfect for when you're little ones are anxious about having a bath. The story follows Sloppy the tree dragon who loves to get muddy and dirty, but is scared to have a bath until his friend shows him it can actually be quite fun. The story was short ans sweet and to the point. The illustrations were beautifully done, and I found the colors to be nice and vibrant, which really pulled the whole thing together for me. Wonderful!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!

This is such a cute story! Sloppy doesn't want to take a bath, but his friend, Dewdrop, convinces him that there is nothing to be scared of in the water. Sloppy helps some ducklings take their first bath, too. The illustrations are done very well. I look forward to reading about Sloppy and Dewdrop's other adventures!

I Like Sloppy

The emphasis in the blurbs I've read about this book is on getting kids to overcome their reluctance to take baths. I don't mean to be a wiseguy, and I don't know about you, but the kids and grandkids I have are fine with baths, love playing around in the bath, and pretty much have to be dragged out of the bath. So in the hierarchy of tooth brushing, room cleaning, indoor voicing, and potty training, bath taking doesn't seem like that big a deal to me.

Luckily, this is a picture book. It has pictures. It has funny, charming, engaging pictures. Sloppy is a remarkably appealing character. His friend Dewdrop, (she's the fairy on the cover), is equally engaging and very expressive and personable. They make a great team. The drawing and the execution - pencils, inking, colors - are top drawer, with enough detail and muted but attractive pastels. The text is slim, but to the point. It's easy to understand and fun to read. For a short picture book there's actually a lot going on - Sloppy likes mud puddles, Sloppy has never had a real bath, Sloppy has to be brave in order to be a role model for some nervous ducklings, Sloppy earns a hug, and so on.

But bottom line, there are enough picture books out there that you can be choosey. Here, I liked the drawings. I thought the tone was mellow and consistent. I knew the little ones would like it. That all worked for me.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

A sweet book, beautifully illustrated to help encourage other reluctant bathers you may know. I appreciated the simplicity in the story, I feel it would be received well with children especially small ones and I loved how it showed how to be a good example in encouraging others to be brave too. The names of the characters are adorable. I found myself wishing it was longer, it was so sweet I wanted more.

Clearly designed to get young kids (who are read to but might be beginning to parse words by themselves) to have a wash and bath, this is also clearly designed very well indeed. The tree dragon of the title needs coaxing into the water, but then he's not alone in that, and he's lucky to have a weird angel fairy thing as best friend to help out. It's slight, but it's perfectly harmless and really appealingly illustrated. A clean winner, then.

This is a perfectly cute little book about the importance of taking a bath and it would fit nicely into any reading rotation.

The pictures are sweet and the story is ok, but overall it's missing that special magic for me that would elevate this up to my favourites shelf.