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!