Librarians, brace yourselves.
The other day, I had a memory. I wasn't really sure how it went. There was a book, you see. I found it in the public library of my home town, oh, probably 30 years ago, when I was but a wee snapper of whips.
This is the sum total of what I remember of it (besides that I enjoyed it).
1. It was kind of like Mary Poppins, only the Magical Caretaker was a man instead of a woman.
2. There was something about soda (or possibly pop) coming out of the taps.
3. And a bathtub. Something about a bathtub. Possibly the pop was coming out of the bathtub taps.
4. The title was possibly the name of the caretaker character, akin to Mary Poppins.
So, you know, even the things I remembered I didn't really remember. But I went to Google with various relevant keywords and -phrases ("like Mary Poppins," "magic soda bathtub," etc.) expecting that I would be frustrated and eventually have to ask my Local Librarian (or the several librarian and librarian-adjacent friends I know on FB), set to make the necessary apologies ("No, I don't know what color the cover is. Sorry."). And sure enough, I saw lots of articles about Mary Poppins, ads for "Magic Soda Dispensers" and the like. But I persevered, trying various combinations. And sure enough-- "bathtub taps soda" (you gotta be specific) showed me (in second place after "9 Bathroom Cleaning Problems Solved | Reader's Digest")...
Mr. Pudgins, by Ruth Christoffer Carlsen. Not only that, but my local library system even has a copy, and it is winging its nostalgic way to me as we speak. I retire, victorious.
