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The Nursery Collection
Bathwater's Hot
A little girl discovers that all things have an opposite
18 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Shirley Hughes
391 books210 followersShirley Hughes is the illustrator of more than two hundred children’s books and has won many prestigious awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal twice. She is the author-illustrator of DON'T WANT TO GO! and OLLY AND ME 1 2 3. She died at her home in London on the 25th of February, 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 6, 2023
Great little story, that is easy to understand. Loved the little drawings. Great for kids!
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March 7, 2021"Bathwater's hot, seawater's cold..." My daughter loved this one when she was a baby. The rhyming text helped her learn words, and she was able to finish the lines by saying the last rhyming word. It was so cute to hear her barely being able to talk but getting out some of the words to this book! I think we read it so many times we've got it memorized! A wonderful little book for the babies we love!
April 3, 2019
A good book to introduce children to opposite
October 4, 2015
This is the first time I've read this Hughes book and I love her the more I go back and pick her up. I didn't encounter her as a child which is a tragedy. I have shared this and others with very young children and they love looking at all the goings-on and can identify with the different actions that the children are doing. This is wonderful, uncomplicated storytelling which is all about people doing things that people do. No animals dressed as kids, no humorous sub-plot. It's people watching in the glorious, seemingly-effortless style that only Hughes is capable of. With lots of little scenarios throughout woven with a simple rhyming pattern I have a particular love for Hughes' image of a child looking out of the window and greeting the morning. So rich and bursting with life.
January 22, 2026
This book feels like a quiet moment from real family life, gently captured on paper. Bathwater’s Hot is not about big adventures or loud emotions—it’s about a small, familiar situation that every parent and child recognizes. And that is exactly why it works so beautifully.
What I love most is how Shirley Hughes respects the child’s feelings. Something as simple as bathwater being too hot becomes important, because for a child it is important. There is no rush, no drama created for effect—just attentive adults, a child being heard, and care shown through small actions.
The illustrations are warm, soft, and incredibly human. You can almost feel the steam in the bathroom, the towels, the calm that slowly returns. It reminded me how powerful everyday routines are, and how much security children find in them.
This is a book I would read slowly, maybe in the evening, when the day is winding down. It reassures both the child and the adult that love often lives in the smallest moments.
What I love most is how Shirley Hughes respects the child’s feelings. Something as simple as bathwater being too hot becomes important, because for a child it is important. There is no rush, no drama created for effect—just attentive adults, a child being heard, and care shown through small actions.
The illustrations are warm, soft, and incredibly human. You can almost feel the steam in the bathroom, the towels, the calm that slowly returns. It reminded me how powerful everyday routines are, and how much security children find in them.
This is a book I would read slowly, maybe in the evening, when the day is winding down. It reassures both the child and the adult that love often lives in the smallest moments.
January 13, 2021
3.5 stars. Watched a reading on YouTube.
Simple story that includes opposites- good for new readers. Also prominently displays non-white main characters which is nice for such an older book.
Simple story that includes opposites- good for new readers. Also prominently displays non-white main characters which is nice for such an older book.
September 13, 2022
1001 Children's Books To Read Before You Grow Up - #25
January 6, 2025
Read on Open Library. Lovely illustrations and would be good for toddlers as story matches the pictures.
September 17, 2014
"Batherwater's Hot" by Shirley Hughes a brother and sister where the boy was a baby and the girl was the older sister. The author just used the two of them to explain the difference of things. For example, one difference was "The red light says "stop" and the green light says "go".
I loved how the illustrator made the pictures with good detail. I think illustrator told more of the story with the pictures than the author. I also like how the illustrator showed the differences on each page. For example the story said "Here's someone who is wide awake" and there was a picture of a the baby playing in his crib and below it was "Shh, he's fast asleep" where there was a picture of the baby sleeping in his crib. I think the author could have added more words to the story to understand what the plot is. I also think the title doesn't fit the story because I thought it was going to be about water being hot, but instead it talked about many other things.
I loved how the illustrator made the pictures with good detail. I think illustrator told more of the story with the pictures than the author. I also like how the illustrator showed the differences on each page. For example the story said "Here's someone who is wide awake" and there was a picture of a the baby playing in his crib and below it was "Shh, he's fast asleep" where there was a picture of the baby sleeping in his crib. I think the author could have added more words to the story to understand what the plot is. I also think the title doesn't fit the story because I thought it was going to be about water being hot, but instead it talked about many other things.
March 4, 2020
1001 Children's Books list
Age group: 0-3
Their list: 25/1001
My list: 20/1001
Why they say you should read it? A classic book that makes you nostalgic for childhood.
Theres a lot of ways to teach your children opposites and colors, etc. Some people choose books. I choose books because I am passionate about the way a story can make you feel, good or bad. I started this list as a challenge for my kids and I that would both give us quality time and, hopefully, instill a love of reading in my children. This book is written by someone who has many awards, but I found the book dull and certainly didn't look back fondly at my childhood. Perhaps because mine wasn't the norm, but still.
My kids thoughts? I'd like a bath. Maybe that means they were relating, but not enough to stick around and not head for the bathtub.
Age group: 0-3
Their list: 25/1001
My list: 20/1001
Why they say you should read it? A classic book that makes you nostalgic for childhood.
Theres a lot of ways to teach your children opposites and colors, etc. Some people choose books. I choose books because I am passionate about the way a story can make you feel, good or bad. I started this list as a challenge for my kids and I that would both give us quality time and, hopefully, instill a love of reading in my children. This book is written by someone who has many awards, but I found the book dull and certainly didn't look back fondly at my childhood. Perhaps because mine wasn't the norm, but still.
My kids thoughts? I'd like a bath. Maybe that means they were relating, but not enough to stick around and not head for the bathtub.
September 10, 2010
Oh how I love Shirley Hughes - and this one no exception. Her entirely apt and lovely illustrations of family life (at least my family's sort of life)and her jouncy rhymes "some thngs you can throw away. Some are nice to keep. here's someone who is wide awake. Shhhh, he's fast asleep!" There is a life to her books I find lacking in a lot of the newer releases in picture books that seem rather too clever and kind of cold to me at times...old and old school, yup.
I wish I wish the book was BIGGER so it would be a sharable one at storytime. Too tiny to see the pictures to share with a group. Sigh.
I wish I wish the book was BIGGER so it would be a sharable one at storytime. Too tiny to see the pictures to share with a group. Sigh.
February 28, 2023
A 1001 CBYMRBYGU.
Why isn’t Shirley Hughes on every shelf in every library in America? Her pictures are beautiful and her text is beautiful. Just perfect for kids and their parents and their preschool teachers who must read the same books over and over again.
Bathwater’s hot,
Seawater’s cold.
Ginger’s kittens are very young,
But Buster’s getting old.
Some things
you can
throw away.
Some are nice to keep.
Here’s someone
who is wide awake.
Shhh, he’s fast asleep!
Why isn’t Shirley Hughes on every shelf in every library in America? Her pictures are beautiful and her text is beautiful. Just perfect for kids and their parents and their preschool teachers who must read the same books over and over again.
Bathwater’s hot,
Seawater’s cold.
Ginger’s kittens are very young,
But Buster’s getting old.
Some things
you can
throw away.
Some are nice to keep.
Here’s someone
who is wide awake.
Shhh, he’s fast asleep!
September 20, 2014
Thank you, Shirley Hughes, for that wonderful picture captioned 'shhh, he's fast asleep'. You know, the one that shows the toddler curled up on his belly in the cot. My child is fascinated by this picture, and it helps me get his to bed every single time we read it.
Oh, he also loves the balloons. :)
Oh, he also loves the balloons. :)
July 30, 2010
I so love Shirley Hughes. She captures the young so well. I love this book of opposites because yes, there's the usual suspects - hot/cold, light/dark - but there's the more subtle like hard/soft, tease/help.
September 16, 2011
This is a great book for showing opposites and what kind behavior looks like. There are interactions between an older sibling and an infant, the child and pets, the child and both parents. It's a nice understated book that I wish I'd been aware of when my children were young.
January 31, 2014
A truly wonderful book perfect for reading with a small child and a particular favourite of mine for reading with my daughter when she was little. The illustrations are delightful. Favourite bit - "whisper very quietly and SHOUT OUT LOUD"
March 5, 2017
Another great children's book. The illustrations are wonderful and the rhyming makes it great for reading aloud. This book follows a girl and her baby brother as they do everyday things, and it's set up in opposites so would be great for teaching that topic.
March 3, 2010
I love shirley hughes, and I enjoyed it, but not as much as her other books.
April 27, 2010
One of my all time favorite children's books when I was a young one (pre and post kindergarten). Great to learn to read on and quick bedtime story for the tired parent. :-)
February 28, 2017
Nice little book of opposites.
December 9, 2011
A cute little opposites book for the toddler age. Lovely illustrations with day to day activities that toddlers love to do. Stacking things, going for a walk. Lovely.
April 11, 2012
Weeding final.
I don't really know how to assess books for children this young.
I don't really know how to assess books for children this young.
December 6, 2015
Read as part of a Shirley Hughes collection - loved the illustrations and text!
September 26, 2012
Just LOVE it!! Both girls would read it all day every day if they could!!
November 30, 2012
Another good one from Shirley Hughes. This one is simple and can either be read quite briskly bringing out the rhythm and rhyme or can be dawdled over and the lovely pictures talked about.
June 25, 2013
This is my 2 year old sons favourite book - must be read every single night!!! He loves to yell "shout out loud!" And do the traffic lights page. Beautifully written for the very young
August 21, 2013
Love this book. I bought it in England and Lauren loved it. Now Lachlan does too.
May 27, 2022
An excellent book for babies and toddlers on the concept of opposites. The illustrations are cozy, appealing, and full of interesting details.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews