I have to give Nicola Winstanley credit here, her book was pretty amusing and I can see <i>loads </i>of kids getting a real kick out of it. <i>How to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps</i> begins with a little girl, her cat, and an empty bathtub. What follows is a multitude of shenanigans all centered around a cat, water, and the lengths with which these fluffballs will go to avoid everything even slightly related to it. And so, of course, five steps aren't even possible, let alone five <i>easy</i> steps. I think anyone who's ever owned a cat before will be well aware of the fact that there is nothing more complicated than giving your cat a bath.

At least, not until you reach the end.

I had a lot of fun reading this book, enjoying the plot and the characters. What I wasn't in love with was the artwork. While the cat was cute and many of the household items were good, the pink hair on the girl was utterly ridiculous and for some reason, I just couldn't get past it. It bugged me so much and I regularly found myself wondering why she didn't have some form of natural hair color. What sort of mother would even let her kid dye her hair entirely pink?

There also wasn't a huge or important message in the story. Nothing about perseverance winning out, but rather seemed to suggest the uselessness of it. While I can understand that there could be a potential message in accepting that some things will just be. And though I find this to be a small criticism of the book, I don't think I would want to change the way it ended, either. Sometimes books don't need an all-important message, I guess.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

It's really not that hard! But the story is humorous! And I've heard most cats don't like water (mine, happily, does!). This story sort of reminds me of the joke about giving your cat medication! Lol! Illustrations were cute and humorous (not like images the joke I mentioned inspired!). But the kitty in the book does create a considerable amount of havoc to keep the kiddos entertained and laughing!. Funny story!