Categories: Infectious Diseases, Listening & Co-operating, Washing & Good Hygiene

I Don’t Want to Wash My Hands!

A good choice of picture book to share with a child who is reluctant to wash their hands.

Author: Tony Ross
Illustrator: Tony Ross
Publisher: Andersen Press

Tony Ross’ feisty little princess is a popular character and an entertaining reflection of how many children feel about everyday situations. Here, the princess is told to wash her hands throughout the day, but she’s not sure why. The maid explains that hand washing gets rid of ‘germs and nasties’ that can get into your food, then into your tummy, and make you ill.

The book was written long before Coronavirus, but is nevertheless useful to reinforce the importance of hand washing to minimise the spread of the virus.

This video link is provided to help an adult assess the book's suitability for a child's situation before purchasing it. It has been filmed by a third party and hosted on YouTube and is not made by Little Parachutes. More info

The messages we found in this book:

Acknowledgement:

Children can find hand washing exasperating, particularly when they have to perform the task several times a day
Many children love getting dirty and messy

Guidance:

It’s important to wash your hands after messy/outdoor play, touching animals, sneezing and using the potty/toilet, and before eating food.
Germs are very small (too small to see). Some can be passed from your hands to your mouth and end up in your tummy, which can make you ill.

Worth noting:

The maid describes germs as being ‘worse than crocodiles’ which may alarm some children.