Rudie Nudie

January 1, 2015

PreS-K-Bathtime is over, and clothes aren't yet on, but the fun has just begun. All parents are familiar with the nightly ritual of their own Rudie Nudies streaking from room to room before they are harnessed by pajamas (referred to as "jarmies" in this Australian import). In this case, it's a preschooler and her toddler brother who engage in the disarming romp. "Rudie hugged up in a bundle./Rudie Nudie on the floor./Rolling over, /jumping up, /and Rudie Nudie out the door." The simple charcoal sketches work well for capturing the movement and energy illustrated throughout the story. The pictures are paired with a pastel background and some intentional uncolored areas that leave the impression that the illustrations are unfinished. The lyrical prose makes the story ideal for shared reading at bedtime. Giggles guaranteed.-Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District, ID

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2014
This Australian import features two imps who take a particular pleasure in gamboling about sans covering. From the title page, where a brother and his older sister fling off their clothes, to the "splishing, splashing, sploshing" of a bath, Quay captures the delight her two heroes feel when down to their birthday suits. Almost immediately, the two dry off and zoom through the house. Gently rhyming text chronicles their sensory adventures as they enjoy the soft rug, the spiky doormat and the dangling fronds of a backyard willow. Their capers concluded, the two return to the loving embrace of their mama "for a cuddle, kiss and hug and squeeze and hold." Some American readers may try in vain to parse the linguistic logic behind the term "rudie nudie," a phrase that seems to refer to both juvenile streakers at once. Others (probably grown-ups) may be uncomfortable with the pair's unapologetic embrace of their nude states. Yet for many children, Quay's paean to running about in your altogethers will prove irresistible. The accompanying art, calculatedly devoid of penises, done in pencil, paper and Photoshop, charms. More importantly, it clarifies that the book celebrates a childhood experience, separate from the parental gaze. A bracing burst of joie de vivre, ideal for any rude, nude, naked brood. (Picture book. 2-6)

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