SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: A Scrub in the Tub
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.janthomasbooks.com/
CITY: Socorro
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME: SATA 394
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born September 18, 1958; married; children: sons.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and illustrator.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
AWARDS:One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing selection, New York Public Library, 2007, for What Will Fat Cat Sit On?, and 2008, for The Doghouse; Best Children’s Books selection, Bank Street College of Education, 2010, for both Rhyming Dust Bunnies and Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny!, and 2012, for both Is Everyone Ready for Fun? and Pumpkin Trouble; numerous honors from state reading associations.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
In the picture books created by author and illustrator Jan Thomas, readers meet entertaining animal characters that come to life in colorful, large-scale cartoon art. Thomas’s works, which include A Birthday for Cow!, Rhyming Dust Bunnies, Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy, and The Chicken Who Couldn’t, engage children and parents alike with their simple, direct narratives and laugh-out-loud humor. Thomas writes and illustrates from her home in New Mexico, which occasionally contributes to the southwestern themes in some of her books.
In What Will Fat Cat Sit On? a group of farm animals grows terrified at the prospect of being squashed beneath the weight of a super-sized feline neighbor. A Publishers Weekly critic praised Thomas’s tale as “a rollicking and highly promising debut,” while a contributor to Kirkus Reviews characterized What Will Fat Cat Sit On? as a book “toddlers and new readers will reach for again and again.” In a companion volume, A Birthday for Cow!, Pig and Mouse prepare a special cake for their feline friend while preventing persistent Duck from adding an unwanted turnip to the mix. As G. Alyssa Parkinson noted in School Library Journal, Johnson’s “whimsical story” comes to life in “simple language.”
The Doghouse also features Thomas’s uproarious barnyard characters. After their ball rolls into a canine’s scary-looking home, Mouse convinces Duck, Pig, and Cow to retrieve it, but when the three friends fail to reappear, the rodent must summon the courage to approach the mysterious pooch. “Slanted lines and masterful use of the frame capture the shifting moods and actions of the characters,” wrote a Kirkus Reviews writer of the book. In Thomas’s companion story Pumpkin Trouble, Duck plans to surprise his friends by carving a jack-o’-lantern. Unfortunately, he falls inside the pumpkin and frightens his pals, causing them to believe that a monster has invaded their turf. In Booklist, Andrew Medlar applauded the “well-paced, slapstick action” in Pumpkin Trouble, the critic recommending the picture book as a “terrific Halloween read-aloud.”
Thomas ranges far afield of the farmyard in selecting the animal cast for both Rhyming Dust Bunnies and Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny! The four fluffy creatures that star in the first work are having fun finding words that rhyme with “car” when one of their number veers from the script to announce an emergency: the approach of their arch enemy, the broom-wielding homeowner. Out of the dustpan and back at their usual haunts in Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny!, the resilient household critters have their rhyming game spoiled by a dusty grey dust bunny. A guest appearance from the overweight star of What Will Fat Cat Sit On? adds additional humor to Thomas’s quirky tale.
Large-scale illustrations and high-level “silliness … combine for a party-hearty mood” in Rhyming Dust Bunnies, according to a Publishers Weekly critic, while a Kirkus Reviews critic noted that the story’s “dynamic quartet of dust bunnies … have quite the flair for rhyming words.” “Thomas doesn’t simply fulfill children’s expectations,” asserted Weitz in her School Library Journal review of the same work. “True to form, she adds funny and thrilling surprises up to the absorbing end of the tale.” Hear Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny! “is simplicity at its best,” asserted Ieva Bates in the same periodical, and a Kirkus Reviews writer noted that “Thomas’s signature digital illustrations” for this companion story “utilize stark dark lines and bright color splashes with a quirky exuberance.”
Featuring what a Publishers Weekly critic characterized as a “cheerleading narration, bold cartoons and fluorescent backdrops,” Can You Make a Scary Face? encourages young readers to wriggle, blow, and dance as if dislodging a tiny, tickling insect. A different palette of vibrant colors is introduced with each turn of the page as the demands of a dictatorial ladybug rev up both the antic energy and silliness. A good way “to encourage lively activity and imaginative games,” in the opinion of School Library Journal contributor Susan Weitz, Can You Make a Scary Face? leads readers along via a trail of speech bubbles and highly contrasted digital images that culminates in what a Kirkus Reviews writer described as “a whopper of a twist.”
Three cows whoop it up in Is Everyone Ready for Fun?, another self-illustrated tale by Thomas. While visiting Chicken’s home, the rowdy bovine trio upsets their host by using the fowl’s sofa to jump, dance, and wriggle about. School Library Journal contributor Lora Van Marel wrote that “bright and vibrant illustrations add to the exuberant tone” of the picture book and predicted that “children will love the humor and the art.” In The Easter Bunny’s Assistant, Skunk gets a bit too excited about coloring eggs, emitting a foul stench that forces Bunny to banish him from the house. A Kirkus Reviews writer observed of this picture book that “all the fun is in Thomas’s cleverly rendered facial expressions, body language and Saturday-morning-cartoon pacing.”
A dark night on the prairie is the setting for Thomas’s Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy. As the calves he watches over prepare for sleep, a cowboy launches into a soothing song. His overactive imagination gets the best of him, however, and he repeatedly mistakes an innocuous object—a flower, for example—for something frightening, like a shaggy spider. When his nerves are finally calmed, the cowpoke fails to comprehend recognize a surprise visitor, with humorous consequences. “Like Thomas’s other stories, this one is ostensibly as uncomplicated as her big, loopy cartooning,” a reviewer noted in an appraisal of Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy in Publishers Weekly.
In Is That Wise, Pig?, Thomas provides another take on the “Stone Soup” story, this time with several animals adding ingredients to a big pot of soup. Pig, however, brings things like galoshes and umbrellas for the soup, prompting the other animals to ask him: Is that wise Pig? “Young readers will be easily engaged by the ridiculous pig and appealing illustrations,” wrote Mary Hazelton in School Library Journal. My Toothbrush Is Missing! features Dog, his missing toothbrush, and other animals trying to help him find it. Writing in Booklist, John Peters called the book “a droll knee-slapper for newly emergent readers.” Sheep asks his friends Donkey, Bear, and Duck if they know what makes him happy in Thomas’s My Friends Make Me Happy!
Thomas’s thick-lined cartooning brings over-the-top emotion to each scene,” noted a Publishers Weekly contributor. In There’s a Pest in the Garden!, Duck loves turnips and cultivates a garden only to discover there is a pest eating his beans. The pest next eats a row of corn and then a row of peas. Along with his friends Sheep, Dog, and Donkey, Duck sets out to solve the problem only to discover that a new garden with a fence keeps him out as well. In a dual review that includes What Is Chasing Duck?, a Kirkus Reviews contributor called the books “silly reads for new readers to dig into.”
Thomas published the picture book The Chicken Who Couldn’t in 2020. Chicken is feeling down after not winning anything at the fair. On the way back to the farm, Chicken’s cage falls off the back of the truck, leaving him feeling anxious that he will not be able to get home. A few animals nearby give Chicken the confidence to tackle whatever problems he has by teaching him the mantra: “I am a strong and powerful and nice looking chicken.” With this boost of confidence, Chicken is able to fend off a hungry fox, find his way home, and go on to win many prizes at subsequent fairs with his improved attitude. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews stated: “Like popcorn chicken, this book’s got a nugget of protein at its center.” A Publishers Weekly contributor admitted that “the self-esteem topic may be familiar, but Thomas shows that it can still get excellent comic mileage.”
Thomas makes a departure from animals to mine animatronic life lessons in Even Robots Aren’t Perfect!, a graphic novel for early readers. The book offers three vignettes about pals Red Robot and Blue Robot. “Magnificent Paintings” finds them slightly misunderstanding each other’s artwork. “Nobody Likes to Rust” concerns the unfortunate fate of an umbrella gift. In “The Perfect Plan,” Red Robot hopes to host the perfect dinner party, but a little mishap leaves his face … red. A Kirkus Reviews writer proclaimed that the stars of Even Robots Aren’t Perfect! “are imbued with life; their facial expressions and body language are spot-on in every panel … and their outsize personalities win the reader over.” Finding the robots’ “eager eyes, round schnozzes, and tendency toward slapstick” reminiscent of circus clowns, a Publishers Weekly reviewer praised the “nice comic balance between dialogue and pratfalls.” The reviewer appreciated how each vignette’s end finds the two robots “affirming their friendship.”
The excitable Blue Robot and redoubtable Red Robot return in three more vignettes in Even Robots Can Be Thankful! Their imaginations run away with them in “Bump in the Night.” Blue Robot’s noisy but important chore prompts mixed feelings in Red Robot in “Sorting Bolts,” which features a visit from Purple Robot. “The Train Trip” finds Blue Robot worried—unnecessarily—that Red Robot is going on a journey without him. In Booklist, John Peters hailed this volume’s “daffy misadventures built on the theme of gratitude,” with the two “thoughtful, supportive” friends always there for each other. A Kirkus Reviews writer hailed the robots’ “sheer charm,” as they “wobble and whimper, grin, and celebrate with a great range of expressions and emotions.” The writer affirmed that each “sweet” vignette in Even Robots Can Be Thankful! feels like a “short comedic playlet with a happy ending.”
[open new]A helper needs helping in Thomas’s wacky picture book Problem Solved!, which finds Porcupine Pete counseling Rabbit on how to clean up his disaster area of a room. Folding the laundry is a great idea, but when Pete suggests feeding the clothes to the goldfish, Rabbit realizes that the dresser would be a more suitable destination. Pete shows wisdom in stacking up the scattered blocks, but when he thinks to flush them down the toilet, Rabbit has a better notion. Once the room is clean, Porcupine Pete has no one to help—until he sees a newspaper article about needy scientists on Mars. A Kirkus Reviews writer was intrigued with the narrative, noting that “it’s unclear whether Pete has poor problem-solving skills or is using reverse psychology,” but regardless, Pete’s “giggleworthy suggestions” all get mercifully revised—and might give parents some ideas. The reviewer added that Thomas’s thick-lined cartoon pictures are “rich with emotion, action, and humor” and concluded that the story will “empower children” to get cleaning themselves.
Oblivious to a surrounding greenish-yellow stink cloud, Pig needs some serious encouragement from friends to take a bath in A Scrub in the Tub. With Rabbit and Weasel screening themselves behind an aromatic bush, they continue their urging as Pig tries a quick splash of water, a dip in the mud, and a shrub-scrub, all to little avail. Ultimately the bath proves so enjoyable, Pig gets pleasant company. A Kirkus Reviews writer affirmed that the “accessible, cheerfully rhyming text and repeated refrains are chortle-inducing,” and the “snappy, high-energy dialogue” perfectly matches Thomas’s trademark “hyperexpressive” characters, making for a “punchy tale of a pungent pig.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 2011, Andrew Medlar, review of Pumpkin Trouble, p. 128; January 1, 2012, Ann Kelley, review of The Easter Bunny’s Assistant, p. 122; November 1, 2012, John Peters, review of Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy, p. 76; December 1, 2017, John Peters, review of My Toothbrush Is Missing!, p. 66; September 15, 2022, John Peters, review of Even Robots Can Be Thankful!, p. 55.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, July 1, 2008, Jeannette Hulick, review of A Birthday for Cow!, p. 497; January 1, 2009, Deborah Stevenson, review of Rhyming Dust Bunnies; February 1, 2012, Deborah Stevenson, review of The Easter Bunny’s Assistant, p. 325; October 1, 2012, Jeannette Hulick, review of Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy, p. 118.
Christian Science Monitor, November 20, 2007, Jenny Sawyer, review of What Will Fat Cat Sit On?, p. 16.
Childhood Education, March 22, 2010, Lauren Roth, review of Can You Make a Scary Face?, p. 178.
Horn Book, November 1, 2008, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of The Doghouse, p. 695.
Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2007, review of What Will Fat Cat Sit On?; March 1, 2008, review of A Birthday for Cow!; August 1, 2008, review of The Doghouse; November 15, 2008, review of Rhyming Dust Bunnies; July 15, 2009, review of Can You Make a Scary Face?; October 1, 2009, review of Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny!; August 1, 2011, review of Pumpkin Trouble; March 1, 2012, review of The Easter Bunny’s Assistant; August 1, 2012, review of Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy; June 15, 2016, review of Is That Wise, Pig?; April 15, 2017, review of There’s a Pest in the Garden!; October 15, 2017, review of My Toothbrush Is Missing!; August 1, 2020, review of The Chicken Who Couldn’t; January 1, 2022, review of Even Robots Aren’t Perfect; July 15, 2022, review of Even Robots Can Be Thankful!; June 15, 2023, review of Problem Solved!; April 1, 2025, review of A Scrub in the Tub.
Publishers Weekly, September 10, 2007, review of What Will Fat Cat Sit On?, p. 59; December 1, 2008, review of Rhyming Dust Bunnies, p. 45; August, 2009, review of Can You Make a Scary Face?, p. 44; July 18, 2011, review of Is Everyone Ready for Fun?, p. 149; July 23, 2012, review of Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy, p. 54; June 17, 2016, review of Is That Wise, Pig?, p. 80; December 2, 2016, review of Is That Wise, Pig?, p. 38; October 39, 2017, review of My Friends Make Me Happy!, p. 80; August 31, 2020, review of The Chicken Who Couldn’t, p. 60; October 25, 2021, review of Even Robots Aren’t Perfect!, p. 90.
School Library Journal, December 1, 2007, Blair Christolon, review of What Will Fat Cat Sit On?, p. 101; June 1, 2008, G. Alyssa Parkinson, review of A Birthday for Cow!, p. 114; October 1, 2008, Ieva Bates, review of The Doghouse, p. 126; February 1, 2009, Susan Weitz, review of Rhyming Dust Bunnies, p. 87; August 1, 2009, Susan Weitz, review of Can You Make a Scary Face?, p. 85; November 1, 2009, Ieva Bates, review of Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny!, p. 90; June 1, 2011, Grace Oliff, review of Pumpkin Trouble, p. 96; September 1, 2011, Lora Van Marel, review of Is Everyone Ready for Fun?, p. 130; January 1, 2012, Gay Lynn Van Vleck, review of The Easter Bunny’s Assistant, p. 88; September 1, 2016, Mary Hazelton, review of Is That Wise, Pig?, p. 132; December 1, 2017, Amy Seto Forrester, review of My Toothbrush Is Missing!, p. 94: December 1, 2017, Barbara Spiri, review of My Friends Make Me Happy!, p. 94.
ONLINE
Jan Thomas website, https://www.janthomasbooks.com (November 4, 2025).
Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast, http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/ (June 23, 2009), Julie Danielson, author interview.
Unable to copy bio.
Jan Thomas’ picture-book career started when she was sitting on the couch with her son, trying to interest him in a picture book. He wasn’t interested. Jan got out a sketchpad and wrote and illustrated a simple story. It seemed to do the trick. A few years later, a friend asked Jan to come along with her to a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference. Jan brought the story, WHAT WILL FAT CAT SIT ON?, and a couple of weeks later, she had a contract! Jan’s books have received a lot of recognition, including numerous state children’s choice awards, Junior Library Guild Premier Selections, Bakers’ Dozen lists, Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and New York Public Library—100 Books for Reading and Sharing selections. Her books have also been recognized as a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, Nick Jr. Best Book of the Year, an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio selection, and have also been made into audio books, and animated and broadcast on the PBS program Between the Lions. When Jan’s not working on children’s books, she’s hanging out with her husband, sons, and rambunctious dogs. When she’s not doing that, she’s running and painting in the magnificent mountains of New Mexico.
http://www.janthomasbooks.com
Thomas, Jan A SCRUB IN THE TUB Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster (Children's None) $17.99 6, 3 ISBN: 9781665972963
Pig puts off bath time as long as possible.
"Pee-ew! Someone needs a scrub in the tub!" says Rabbit. "Absolutely!" agrees Weasel. "Who needs a scrub in the tub?" asks the cheerfully oblivious Pig, surrounded by a greenish-yellow cloud of stench. "You, Pig!" says Rabbit. But Pig won't listen. The two friends move behind a sweet-smelling bush as they attempt to persuade Pig to bathe. Pig tries a few other options: a quick splash of water, a mud bath, and even "a scrub with the shrub." Finally, Pig gives in to their entreaties. The bubbles, the warm water, and the scrubbing brush are so pleasant that Pig wants to share the experience. The newly pink and clean Pig invites Rabbit and Weasel into the tub; it's so much fun that they may never leave again! Speech balloons filled with accessible, cheerfully rhyming text and repeated refrains are chortle-inducing--particularly Weasel's constant echo of "Absolutely!" The snappy, high-energy dialogue is matched by Thomas' trademark cartoons, which feature boldly colored backdrops and simply drawn but hyperexpressive characters. Perfect for rereads, this tale also gently acknowledges that friendship sometimes means having hard conversations.
Peer pressure pays off in this punchy tale of a pungent pig.(Picture book. 4-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Thomas, Jan: A SCRUB IN THE TUB." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A832991840/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c4e7cc78. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.
Thomas, Jan PROBLEM SOLVED! Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster (Children's None) $15.99 8, 29 ISBN: 9781665939997
Porcupine Pete knows just how to fix Rabbit's problem.
Rabbit's room is a mess--Rabbit can't go "hippity-hoppity" without stepping on something. But Porcupine Pete is here to help. Porcupine Pete's ideas range in success. Carefully folding all of Rabbit's shirts is a good idea, but feeding those shirts to the goldfish is not--despite Porcupine Pete's enthusiastic "PROBLEM SOLVED!" Luckily, Rabbit steps in and places the shirts neatly in the dresser. Stacking all the blocks helps tidy the room, but Pete's suggestion of flushing them down the toilet is less than ideal. Again, Rabbit catches Pete in time and stows the toys safely. It's unclear whether Pete has poor problem-solving skills or is using reverse psychology, but either way, Rabbit modifies each of Pete's giggleworthy suggestions, and soon every object is in its rightful place. (Caregivers may pick up ideas for encouraging little ones to clean up their own rooms.) It looks like Pete is out of a job until the friends read a newspaper reporting that scientists on Mars are in need of help. Will the scientists there be able to cope with Porcupine Pete's wild ideas? This goofy tale has just a few well-selected words per page; the text is primarily made up of speech bubbles. Thick-lined cartoon illustrations set against solid backgrounds are rich with emotion, action, and humor. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Will help parents solve a perennial problem with humor and empower children to turn cluttered rooms into neat ones. (Picture book. 3-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Thomas, Jan: PROBLEM SOLVED!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A752722895/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e1c2373f. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.