Guaranteed to bring a smile of recognition from adults and children alike, this is the story of Shirley, lost in a daydream while mum tries in vain to persuade her to get out of the bath. While mum chats and bustles around, tidying up dropped clothes and using the bathroom scales (the things mums do!), Shirley is off on an adventure with her toy duck, down the plughole and away to a magical land of knights on white chargers and fairytale castles. While mum gives her hair a brush and pops out to get Shirley's nightie, Shirley herself is otherwise occupied--jousting with a king and queen, all three of them bobbing on the backs of inflatable ducks among the lily pads in the castle's moat. Each left hand page shows Shirley's mum busy with some little task in the bathroom, but on the right hand pages Shirley's daydream is a riot of bold colour where a bright yellow sun blazes in a shocking pink sky. This is an entertaining book which two to four year-old children will enjoy sharing with a adult while those in the four to six year-old age bracket may be able to tackle the simple lines of text for themselves. (Ages 2 to 6) --Alison Jardine