President Taft is Stuck in the Bath

Based on the 2014 picture book by author Mac Barnett and illustrator Chris Van Dusen, this iconographic-animated adaptation, narrated by actor George Newbern, tells the story of when plus-sized 27th President William Howard Taft found himself trapped in a White House bathtub. Amidst the sounds of sloshing water and squeezing noises, Taft tries to talk himself up, but frustration sets in (many “blast!”s and “drat!”s are uttered) and he is forced to ask for the help of his wife, vice president, secretary of state, and other cabinet members—who irritate him (“Are you calling me fat?”)—but do have ideas of how to free him, including butter and dynamite. Also featuring a read-along option and an author's note about the true story (and the outright lies concerning the specially commissioned tub with “pond-like dimensions”), this hilarious slice of possibly exaggerated U.S. history is laugh-out-loud funny. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)