VEGETABLES IN UNDERWEAR

Name: VEGETABLES IN UNDERWEAR
Author: Jared Chapman
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1464-1

by Jared Chapman ; illustrated by Jared Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 7, 2015

Those who are making the transition from diapers are sure to laugh, though it doesn’t really stand out from the other books...

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A survey of underwear and opposites is leavened (as if talk of underwear needs to be made funnier) by anthropomorphized veggies.

There’s not much story here, though for kids who giggle at the merest mention of unmentionables, that won’t be an issue. Basically, a stalk of broccoli sheds his shirt and shorts on the copyright and dedication pages and then launches into a spiel about underwear. “I wear underwear! / You wear underwear! // … // There’s big underwear / and little underwear.” Underwear can also be dirty or clean, old or new, serious or funny, for boys or for girls, and for every day of the week. But though the colors and patterns may vary, apparently underwear cannot be boxers, and sadly, there’s no underwear for babies, who wear diapers. Different colors highlight opposites in the all-caps text, though not all these words indicate opposites, per se—the days of the week are in rainbow hues. Chapman’s digital artwork features brightly colored veggie characters with stick arms and legs against white backgrounds. Simple props provide context (like the flies around the hamper), while a red, dashed line indicates movement. Front endpapers introduce the clothes-wearing veggies, while closing endpapers show them in their underwear (or not, as is the case for Pea).

Those who are making the transition from diapers are sure to laugh, though it doesn’t really stand out from the other books in the underwear drawer. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: April 7, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4197-1464-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Abrams Appleseed

Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
SEALS ARE JERKS!
by Jared Chapman ; illustrated by Jared Chapman

- BOOK REVIEW
THE TIDAL POOL OF COOL
by Beth Ferry ; illustrated by Jared Chapman

- BOOK REVIEW
I AM NOT A DOG TOY
by Ethan T. Berlin ; illustrated by Jared Chapman

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UMBRELLA

by Taro Yashima ; illustrated by Taro Yashima ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1958

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Momo longed to carry the blue umbrella and wear the bright red rubber boots she had been given on her third birthday. But day after day Indian summer continued. Momo tried to tell mother she needed to carry the umbrella to nursery school because the sunshine bothered her eyes. But Mother didn't let her use the umbrella then or when she said the wind bothered her. At last, though, rain fell on the city pavements and Momo carried her umbrella and wore her red boots to school. One feels the urgency of Momo's wish. The pictures are full of the city's moods and the child's joy in a rainy day.

Pub Date: March 1, 1958

ISBN: 978-0-14-050240-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1958

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

THE THREE LITTLE SUPERPIGS AND THE GINGERBREAD MAN

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THE THREE LITTLE SUPERPIGS AND THE GINGERBREAD MAN

by Claire Evans ; illustrated by Claire Evans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2022

Superheroes, and readers, will live happily-ever-after.

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Why have fairy tales lasted so long? Maybe it’s because they change with every teller.

It takes surprisingly little effort to turn the Three Little Pigs into superheroes. The Big Bad Wolf basically started out as a supervillain, with the ability to blow a house down, and the pigs had to perform spectacular feats to outwit him. In this picture book, the wolf, locked in the Happily Never After tower, devises a plot to escape. Using rotten eggs and spicy ginger, he creates the Gingerbread Man, who makes his way to a baking contest where the three pigs and other fairy-tale characters are competing to win the key to the city. The Gingerbread Man grabs the key, and not even superhero pigs are fast enough to catch him, but with their secret weapon—mustard (which one of the pigs also uses to bake cookies)—they save the day. The morals: Evil never triumphs, and mustard cookies are delicious. The book’s charm is in the details. There are splotches of mustard on the cookies featured on the endpapers, and a sly-looking mouse is hiding on many of the pages. The story even manages to include more than a dozen fairy-tale figures without seeming frenzied. Evans’ use of shading is so skillful that it almost seems possible to reach out and touch the characters. Most of the human characters are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Superheroes, and readers, will live happily-ever-after. (Picture book. 3-5)