Published in 2020 by Holiday House. 48 pages. Recommended for ages 4-8 years, Lexile 600.
Cubs in the Tub is a narrative picture biography that tells the story of Helen Martini, the first female zookeeper at the Bronx zoo. Her husband, Fred, worked at the zoo while Helen stayed home and prepared to become a mother. But when no baby came, her husband brought home first a baby lion and then baby tigers from the zoo. Helen's baby preparations came in handy as she fed, bathed, and took care of the cubs, who thrived under her care.
When the tiger cubs were to return to the zoo, Helen couldn't leave them behind. Fred helped her set up a secret nursery at the zoo to take care of the cubs at night, and soon Helen became a zoo employee, working in the nursery. Once the tigers grew too old for her care, the nursery filled up with other baby animals who needed her help. Helen had made a space, and a career, for herself at the zoo.
(Fleming & Downing, 2020, p.38-39)
Fleming's engaging, informative text is paired with Downing's charming, vintage-style illustrations. Readers will love the cute illustrations of the cubs and other animals, but will also come to love Helen's loving and stalwart character, as she pushes for her role at the zoo.
(Fleming & Downing, 2020, p.28-29)
Fleming includes a further biography at the end of the story, as well as bibliography for more information on Helen's life. Fleming notes that women in the 1940s "often went about carving out opportunities for themselves" not by being loud, but with their "daring and cleverness [as] they subtly worked within the existing power structure" (Fleming & Downing, 2020, p.46).
Cubs in the Tub received starred reviews from both Horn Book and Booklist. This tale will sure to strike a chord with young animal-lovers, especially young girls. It would be a great book to use in a preschool or early elementary classroom, and just as enjoyable for adults reading the book as the children.
A video of Helen at work in her nursery can be seen below:
Other books about zoos and baby animals:
Baby Fiona became an internet sensation in 2017. Born prematurely, zookeepers at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden knew she wouldn't survive without a lot of extra care and attention. With creativity and teamwork, baby Fiona became to thrive, and pictures and videos of her progress made her a beloved phenomenon around the world.
Katherine Applegate's bestselling novel The One and Only Ivan was based off the true story of Ivan the gorilla, who grew up in a shopping mall. In this picture book, Applegate tells the story of the real Ivan, and his journey from mall attraction to eventually become a symbol of animal welfare.
Learn about the bathroom habits of all your favorite zoo animals in this silly and informational picture book! Kids who love animals, bodily functions, or both will be sure to enjoy this title, which is full of interesting facts about animal poop and how zoos keep up with it.
References:
Fleming, C. & Downing, J. (2020). Cubs in the tub: The true story of the Bronx zoo's first woman zookeeper. Holiday House.
Debbie, I wonder if this could be used as a study of one particular zoo. I know And Tango Makes Three is also about the Bronx Zoo, and there's an old one from the 60s called the Bronx Zoo Book of Wild Animals. If the class is near NYC, they could even take a field trip there (assuming a class was reading it).
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