The book I am looking for is/was a children’s book that I loved as a child. I was born in 1955 so I am guessing the book was published in the 1940s or 1950s. I checked it out, with the help of my mother, from the Pittsburg, California Public Library. I think I remember that the cover of the book was red and the illustrations were in black and white.
It was about a little Hispanic boy, Mexican, I think, who hated to take a bath. His family and village all must convince him to take a bath for some special celebration. I think the name of the book was the boy’s name, maybe Miguel, The Dirty One.
Angelo, the Naughty One.
The book you’re looking for is Angelo the Naughty One by Helen Garrett. Angelo is terrified of water and hates taking baths. When his family tries to clean him up for his older sister’s wedding, he runs away to hide, but his found by some soldiers, comrades of his sister’s fiance. They clean him up, and when he discovers that it isn’t as bad as he thought and that big, brave soldiers take baths, he gets over his fear.
https://forgottenstoriesweb.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/angelo-the-naughty-one/