Rub-a-Dub Sub
Written by Linda Ashman, Illustrated by Jeff Mack
Harcourt, 2003. 978-0152026585
Reviews
“A pint-sized Jacques Cousteau plunges down into the ocean depths in an orange submarine to explore its treasures. All will appreciate being asked along for this enchanting ride.” —Publishers Weekly
“Vivid illustrations, bubbly verse, and the surprise ending make this imaginative voyage as fun as it is educational.” Julie Yates Walton, —Child Magazine
“Poetic text is lively with enough alliteration to encourage repeated recitation. An amusing and equally enlightening companion to Ashman’s previous Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs.” —Kirkus Reviews
“This cheery voyage makes exuberant reading aloud, both pre- and post-bath time.” —Booklist
“This imaginative bath-time book excels at blending story and pictures.” —School Library Journal
About this Story
Sinking in my submarine,
my sub (glub glub) marine.
Diving with a silky seal.
Darting by a dancing eel.
Peering through a kelpy haze
at rainbow fish and manta rays.
All the research I’d done for an ill-fated undersea poetry collection came to good use with this book. It began with just one line that kept going through my head. But nothing else came, so I gave up and put it aside. When I took it out again a year later, the rest of the story just followed — probably the quickest book I’ve written (not counting the year it sat in my drawer!).
I love Jeff Mack’s vibrant paintings for this book, so full of energy and childlike wonder at this amazing undersea world. And I was thrilled when Jeff agreed to do Starry Safari, a companion adventure, which Harcourt published in 2005.
Illustrations copyright 2003 by Jeff Mack. Harcourt.