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Pamela Allen

Mr Archimedes’ Bath

YEAR: 1980

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Archimedes Greek Science

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Title of the work

Mr Archimedes’ Bath

Country of the First Edition

Australia

Country/countries of popularity

Australia

Original Language

English

First Edition Date

1980

First Edition Details

Pamela Allen, Mr Archimedes’ Bath. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1980, 32 pp.

ISBN

9780207172854

Awards

1980 – NSW Premier’s Literary Awards – Ethel Turner Prize 

Genre

Humor
Illustrated works
Instructional and educational works
Picture books

Target Audience

Crossover

Cover

Missing cover

We are still trying to obtain permission for posting the original cover.

Author of the Entry:

Elizabeth Hale, University of New England, ehale@une.edu.au

Peer-reviewer of the Entry:

Miriam Riverlea, University of New England, mriverlea@gmail.com 

Daniel A. Nkemleke, Université Yaounde 1, nkemlekedan@yahoo.com

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Leaf pattern
Leaf pattern

Title of the work

Mr Archimedes’ Bath

Country of the First Edition

Australia

Country/countries of popularity

Australia

Original Language

English

First Edition Date

1980

First Edition Details

Pamela Allen, Mr Archimedes’ Bath. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1980, 32 pp.

ISBN

9780207172854

Awards

1980 – NSW Premier’s Literary Awards – Ethel Turner Prize 

Genre

Humor
Illustrated works
Instructional and educational works
Picture books

Target Audience

Crossover

Cover

Missing cover

We are still trying to obtain permission for posting the original cover.

Author of the Entry:

Elizabeth Hale, University of New England, ehale@une.edu.au

Peer-reviewer of the Entry:

Miriam Riverlea, University of New England, mriverlea@gmail.com 

Daniel A. Nkemleke, Université Yaounde 1, nkemlekedan@yahoo.com

Female portrait

Pamela Allen (Author)

Pamela Allen was born in Devonport, in Auckland, New Zealand in 1934. She moved to Australia with her painter husband in 1980, and returned to Auckland over thirty years later. She trained as a fine artist at the Elam School of Arts, in New Zealand. Her first picture book was Mr Archimedes’ Bath, the first of a series of picture books about aspects of water displacement theory (Who Sank The Boat? and Alexander’s Outing followed soon after). Allen has built a distinguished career as a writer and illustrator of picture books. She has received numerous awards, for individual books, including several Book of the Year Awards from the Children’s Book Council of Australia, two New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards, and the Margaret Mahy Medal, New Zealand’s most prestigious award for children’s literature. 


Sources:

Profile at the bookcouncil.org.nz (accessed: June 3, 2018).

Profile at the thelittlebigbookclub.com.au (accessed: June 3, 2018).

Profile at the storylines.org.nz (accessed: June 3, 2018).



Bio prepared by Elizabeth Hale, University of New England, ehale@une.edu.au

Summary

A humorous picture book about the principle of water displacement discovered by the Greek mathematician, Archimedes. In this book, ‘Mr Archimedes’ shares his bath with three animals: a goat, a wombat, and a kangaroo. Trial and error in the bath (in which each animal is ‘blamed’ in turn for taking up too much room) show the principles of displacement in action. Finally, Mr Archimedes shouts ‘Eureka!’ and explains to the animals that they are all making the water go up and down. Illustrations are pen-and-ink line drawings, with cross-hatching and watercolour shading.

Analysis

Mr Archimedes’ Bath is a lightly handled picture book about the scientific principle of water displacement, as discovered by Archimedes. The setting is quasi-modern (the bath appears to have plumbing; Mr Archimedes wears trousers and a shirt), and the inclusion of two Australian animals (kangaroo and wombat) show the interaction of ancient Greek ideas with a modern setting. The playful retelling of Archimedes’ discovery using Australian animal friends, mimics a child’s bathtime with toy animals, and a certain amount of spilled water. Mr Archimedes’ cry of ‘Eureka!’ precipitates the discovery that the principle is the same regardless of who is in the bath.

Classical, Mythological, Traditional Motifs, Characters, and Concepts

Archimedes Greek Science

Other Motifs, Figures, and Concepts Relevant for Children and Youth Culture

Animals Friendship Water

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