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Check It Out: ‘Vegetables’ charms pants off you

By Jan Johnston
Published: August 8, 2015, 5:00pm
2 Photos
&quot;Vegetables in Underwear&quot; by Jared Chapman (Abrams Appleseed, unpaged)
"Vegetables in Underwear" by Jared Chapman (Abrams Appleseed, unpaged) Photo Gallery

Ahh, the joys of underwear. What’s that? Are you shaking your head right now? Just trust me.

As you probably know, little kids get a big kick out of anything butt-related. I have witnessed this phenomenon with my nephews, ages 2 and 4. Books about animal rumps and/or poop are sure to provoke giggle fits as well as extended conversation and silliness about anything connected to the buttocks. It doesn’t help that one of my nephews continues to work through the ins-and-outs of potty training (ha!) which really just adds fuel to the fire, so to speak. I have to admit that my nephews’ merriment about the “bottom line” has had an odd effect on me: I can’t help but notice picture books containing a keister-related theme.

Welcome to my world.

If unmentionables have become the over-the-top mentionable in your world (for whatever reason — no judgment here), consider checking out “Vegetables in Underwear” by Jared Chapman. The author has managed to shift the below-the-belt focus from animals and humans to that green stuff your wee ones love to hate: veggies.

The veritable variety of vegetables cast in this kooky tale will astound the peas-and-carrots crowd. Avoiding a complicated plot (after all, the relationship between, say, a stalk of broccoli and a radish, has the potential for being rather explosive, if you know what I mean), Chapman directs his herbaceous characters with a minimalist touch. For example, we meet the first veggie, a handsome column of broccoli, with this simple exclamation: “Underwear!” And sure enough, the cruciferous fellow is wearing a red pair of underpants!

Soon after we’re greeted by an eggplant, a pea, a carrot, a bunch of celery, and a cob of corn. What are they all doing? Wearing underwear, of course!

Once the reader is introduced to the first group of vegetables, more greens enter the story showing off different styles and states of undies. A red-cheeked potato frowns at the size of his tiny underpants while some brief-adorned celery demonstrates the difference between dirty drawers and clean drawers (don’t worry — the “dirty underwear” scene isn’t gross, just funny.)

“Vegetables in Underwear” definitely tickles the funny bone, but it also makes the subject of undergarments accessible and fun for the youngest members of the family. Best of all, for the tots who have graduated from diapers into bonafide tighty-whities, they’ll feel pretty darn grown-up when they see the diaper-clad baby veggies.

“Babies don’t wear underwear. Babies wear diapers!” exclaims the older (and obviously wiser) stalk of broccoli. This makes a baby carrot cry (aww), but in the end, everyone joins together to celebrate the best thing about underwear — “you can wear it anywhere!”

This delightful picture book will charm the underpants, er, pants off of readers of all ages. Who wouldn’t want to meet a radish wearing bright yellow knickers, or a turnip sporting a pair of tiger-striped Fruit-of-the-Looms?

Or should that be — wait for it — Veg-of-the-Looms?

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