One day when Mrs. Gillis is giving her daughter a bath, Petronilla cries, “Wash on!” “Wash off, dear,” Mrs. Gillis corrects her. But Petronilla’s words seem to have power. The blue of the washcloth has stained the girl’s cheek. And that is only the beginning. Colors start transferring between every object Petronilla touches. And every person. And every person who touches an object that has been touched. Before long, the entire world is a spreading mess of colors, and only Petronilla can stop it. But will she?

Translated from Barbouillette by Michèle Marineau, Wash On! is a gleeful adventure with an appealingly mischievous heroine. Manon Gauthier’s mixed-media illustrations are both innovative and charming, inviting young readers into a world where the words of a child have the power to change everything.